Mark Pickford

Trigger Finger

Trigger finger is a condition presenting with painful locking of the fingers or thumb, typically in a bent position. In the worst cases, it is extremely painful to straighten the finger, and it is not possible without passive manipulation, typically using the other hand to straighten the affected digit(s).

This is a degenerative condition for most patients, and associated with thickening of the membranes around flexor tendons of the distal palm. In my own Practice I routinely give steroid injections and will repeat these on a second occasion, if necessary, before reverting to surgery. The good news is that surgery, when it is required, is a very minor intervention performed under local anaesthetic on a day case basis, and with almost uniformly successful outcomes.