Releases constricted tissue to restore smooth finger movement.
What is Trigger Finger?
Trigger finger is a painful condition where your fingers or thumb lock or `click` when you bend them.
It can affect any finger, although it is mainly found in the little finger, ring finger, or thumb. Unfortunately, it can affect more than one finger.
Also known as stenosing tenosynovitis, trigger finger ultimately affects the tendons in hand and when these tendons become swollen or inflamed, it can make the finger or thumb catch, which results in a clicking sensation and difficulty in bending or straightening your fingers and thumb.
Trigger finger is most commonly found in the right hand because more people are found to be right-handed.
Getting Technical
Our fingers bend and move freely due to the tendons connecting muscles to the bones of the finger.
Supporting movement, these tendons run along the length of the bone and remain in place by tunnels of ligaments.
There is a fluid-like coating known as tenosynovium, which helps the tendons glide effortlessly through the ligaments reducing friction when fingers are moving.
However, when inflammation or swelling of the tenosynovium occurs, trigger finger/stenosing tenosynovitis/flexor tendonitis is caused, and you will find that the affected finger or thumb will then remain in the bent position.
Unfortunately, your finger or thumb may return to a straightened position, but it will do so with a snap, similar to releasing a trigger on a gun, hence where the name Trigger Finger comes from.
Surgical Treatments
If you find that the non-surgical treatments are failing to help relieve the symptoms or if symptoms persist for six months or more, or your quality of life is adversely affected, we may recommend that you undergo surgery to release the pressure on the tendon.
It is rare for trigger finger to return once surgery has been carried out. However, you will still need a period of rest and recuperation after the operation.
Surgery will typically be carried out under local anaesthetic and is a day surgery taking approximately 20-30 minutes.
