Trigger Finger | Uncovering the Hidden Facts & At-Home Treatments

Trigger finger is a hand disorder that causes pain, stiffness, and a sensation of locking or catching when you bend and straighten your finger. Performing effective at-home treatments for trigger fingers can help you reduce the symptoms of this hand disorder accurately.

In accordance with the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), stenosing tenosynovitis is a condition commonly known as “trigger finger.” Additionally, if it occurs in the thumb, it is called the “trigger thumb.”

Anatomy of trigger finger

• The flexor tendons are the long cord-like structures that connect the muscles of your forearm to the bones of your fingers.
• When the muscles contract, the flexor tendons help your fingers to bend easily. Each flexor tendon passes through a tunnel in the palm and fingers allowing it to glide effortlessly as the finger bends and straightens. This tunnel is known as the “tendon sheath.”
• In addition to the tendon sheath, the bands of tissue called “pulleys” help hold the flexor tendons closely to the finger bones.
• Performing hand exercises and using pain-relieving devices are some of the trigger finger treatments without surgery to get rid of the symptoms.
• The tendons pass through the pulleys when your finger moves. The pulley at the base of the finger is called the “A1 pulley” involved in the trigger finger.
• If a person is suffering from a trigger finger, the A1 pulley becomes thickened or inflamed, making it difficult for the flexor tendon to glide through it as the finger bends.
• Over time, the flexor tendon becomes inflamed and starts developing a small nodule on its surface.
• You will experience popping or catching when your finger flexes and the nodule passes through the pulley.

Early signs of trigger finger

If you don’t follow effective at-home treatments for trigger fingers in the early stage, your symptoms might become more painful. For example, in a severe case of a trigger finger, the finger locks and gets stuck in a bent position. In such cases, it becomes important for the patient to use the other hand to straighten the fingers.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of trigger finger you should never avoid:

1. Pain: trigger finger begins with the discomfort at the base of the affected finger or thumb where the finger joins the palm. This is the only initial symptom suffered by most people. The pain occurs with the pressure over the A1 pulley area while gripping. It may not hurt while resting your finger. However, over time, if you experience increased fluid production in the tendon sheath, it can lead to pressure and pain even without using your hand.

2. Swelling: some patients experience the development of a lump at the A1 pulley. It can occur due to the development of a fluid-filled cyst or nodular swelling within the tendon (the cyst here means flexor sheath ganglion). Trigger finger wands and therapeutic soaks are the widely used trigger finger treatments without surgerythat offers instant results without any side effects.

3. Stiffness or loss of motion: a trigger finger makes it hard to bend the finger. It can be estimated by how far the tip of the finger is from the palm of the hand when a person is asked to bend the finger as much as they can. In most cases, it is painful to try and bend the finger because of the compression of the fluid. As a result, a patient starts avoiding a bent position of the finger to limit pain. It can lead to loss of the ability to straighten the finger.

Note: when the joint of the fingers does not fully straighten for a few days or even weeks. A ligament called the volar plate becomes shortened and limits motion.

4. Mechanical symptoms: a trigger finger can also cause abnormal sensations or movement, such as catching, popping, or locking. Sometimes these abnormal sensations occur when you bend or straighten your finger or both. In the early stage, the symptoms may be mildly painful, but as the tendon and pulley interaction becomes tighter, the pain will start increasing.

Trigger finger treatment without surgery

Let’s dive into the most effective at-home treatments for trigger fingers that can also eliminate the need for surgery.

1. Although the treatment depends on how severe your symptoms are. You can start by avoiding excessive movement of your finger or thumb.
2. If you can’t quit your day-to-day tasks, try padded gloves or trigger wand tape.
3. The gentle moves of stretching exercises can help you ease stiffness and improve your range of motion.
4. Your doctor might give you a steroid shot into the tendon sheath to reduce the symptoms.
5. A trigger finger wand is a safe, painless, and effective approach to reduce the swelling in the tendon sheaths.

When to contact a doctor

Seek immediate medical attention if the fingers of your joints are hot and inflamed, as it may indicate an injection. In addition, if you have any catching, stiffness, pain, numbness, or you are not able to straighten or bend a finger, make an appointment with a qualified doctor.

The bottom line 

The goal of the treatment is to release the A1 pulley that blocks the tendon movement so that the flexor tendon can glide more easily through the tendon sheath. Performing the right trigger finger treatments without surgery can help you keep the symptoms of the trigger finger at bay.