Trigger Finger Surgery

http://www.handandwristinstitute.com/... - Of all of the conditions that can affect the hand, trigger finger is among the most common. As with many conditions of the fingers, it is typically caused and exacerbated by repetitive activity such as typing or text messaging, although it is not limited to these activities alone. Trigger finger most commonly affects the ring finger, but it not uncommon in any of the digits of the hand, and it typified by a snapping of the finger, accompanied with pain.

Trigger finger affects the flexor tendons, which control flexion of the finger; that is to say, they pull the fingertips into the hand towards the palm. These tendons can develop nodules, or knots, which then become stuck on the pulley bands that normally keep them in position against the finger bones. In particularly bad cases, the nodules can become so large that the tendon is unable to pass through the pulley at all, making it impossible to flex or extend the finger, depending on the position when it becomes stuck.

Conservative treatment of trigger finger consists of cortisone injection, which can be an effective remedy in up to 50% of occurrences. Should this injection prove ineffective then surgery may be necessary. The procedure is a simple one, and only requires local anesthesia. A small incision is made in the affected finger(s), through which the pulley band upon which the knotted tendon is caught is sliced, freeing the tendon to return to its standard mobility. The wound is then closed and sewn shut with three to four stitches. Mobility returns to the finger almost immediately.

A light dressing will be placed over the wound, and this must be kept dry for ten days, after which time the stitches are taken out by the doctor, and light activity may be resumed. By about four weeks, any tenderness at the scar site should resolve, and full function returns. It is not uncommon to see trigger finger occur in different digits of the same hand at different times, although recurrence is extremely unlikely in the same digit.