Personalized Care for Trigger Finger and Trigger Thumb

Trigger finger happens when the sheath (coating) around a tendon in your thumb or finger swells or thickens. It causes your finger or thumb to catch or lock in place, when you bend or straighten it. Trigger finger most commonly affects your ring finger or thumb (called trigger thumb), but it can affect any finger.

Our orthopedic specialists provide expert care for trigger finger. We develop a treatment plan to relieve symptoms of trigger finger and let you use your hands comfortably. 

What are the symptoms of trigger finger?

Symptoms of trigger finger begin gradually, without being related to an injury. You may have a painful bump on your palm at the base of your finger or thumb.

Symptoms in your finger or thumb include:

• Catching, locking or popping thumb tendon or finger tendon with movement
• Pain during bending or straightening
• Worse stiffness and locking during inactivity, which improves when you use your hand

You may also have a painful bump on your palm at the base of your finger or thumb.

It’s unclear what causes trigger finger, but the condition is more common in older adults and people with diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. It can also happen after using your fingers or thumb forcefully.

What are the treatment options for trigger finger?

Treatment for trigger finger begins with non-surgical, hand therapy approaches, such as splinting, gentle stretching, anti-inflammatory and pain medicines, or steroid shots.

If non-surgical treatment doesn’t relieve pain or let you use your hand comfortably, your doctor may recommend surgery, called a trigger finger release procedure. Your surgeon makes a tiny cut in the affected tendon sheath to give the tendon more space to move. We do this through a small cut at the base of your finger or thumb, using local anesthesia. It doesn’t require an overnight hospital stay.

Our team creates a personalized treatment plan to relieve trigger finger symptoms as quickly as possible.