The painful clicking, catching, and locking of Trigger Finger can be a constant source of frustration in your daily life. When your finger refuses to move smoothly, there are options such as steroid injection or definitive surgery to release the tendon and restore the pain-free motion you’ve been missing.
The painful clicking, catching, and locking of Trigger Finger can be a constant source of frustration in your daily life. When your finger refuses to move smoothly, there are options such as steroid injection or definitive surgery to release the tendon and restore the pain-free motion you’ve been missing.
Trigger Finger is not a problem with your finger’s joint, but rather with the tendon that bends it. Your tendons are like strong cords that run through a series of tunnels (tendon sheaths) in your fingers and palm. In Trigger Finger, inflammation causes a small nodule to form on the tendon, and this nodule gets “stuck” at the entrance of the tunnel, causing the painful catching and locking sensation.
Trigger Finger has a very distinct set of symptoms. You may be dealing with this condition if you experience:
The best way to understand Trigger Finger is to think of a thread with a small knot in it trying to pass through the eye of a needle. The thread is your tendon, the knot is the inflamed nodule, and the eye of the needle is the tight opening of the tendon sheath (called the A1 pulley). Every time you bend your finger, the “knot” has to force its way through the “eye,” causing a painful click. When it gets completely stuck, your finger locks.
When non-surgical treatments like splinting or injections have not provided lasting relief, a Trigger Finger Release is a minor surgical procedure that offers an immediate and permanent solution.
How it works: This is a quick procedure, often done under local anesthesia. Dr. French makes a small, carefully placed incision in your palm. He then identifies the tight opening of the tendon sheath (the A1 pulley) and simply releases it, dividing the tight band. This instantly creates more space, allowing the tendon nodule to glide through freely without catching.
While a Trigger Finger Release is a common and straightforward procedure, the nerves that provide sensation to your finger and other delicate structures run very close to the area of surgery. Choosing a specialist with a deep and intimate knowledge of the hand’s anatomy is crucial. As a Harvard-trained hand surgeon, Dr. French can perform the procedure with precision, completely releasing the tendon while carefully protecting these delicate nearby structures.
