Trigger Finger Syndrome – A Non-Invasive Approach to Treatment

Trigger Finger Syndrome has become quite prevalent the past several years. I’d even go as far as saying that it has ultimately reached epidemic proportions that are similar to those statistics relative to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. With such a high incident rate and a low number of effective alternatives for treatment, an effective, non-invasive solution to this ever-increasing problem is greatly desired. 

If you are suffering from Trigger Finger, or know some that is, this article will point you in the right direction, helping you to recognize that the non-invasive treatment methods can effectively take the place of the commonly recognized, invasive methods like cortisone injections and surgery that have poor, long-term results.

Trigger Finger is a condition that results from an adhesion or nodule that has formed on the flexor tendon of the finger or thumb due to micro-tears within the tendon, generally caused by direct trauma or overuse.  The least common cause of Trigger Finger may be a result of disease which can cause swelling of the tissues.  Although all three of these factors can be at the root of the disorder, repetitive motion seems to be the most prevalent cause of Trigger Finger.

            Repetitive Motion / Overuse: Typing, mousing, tooling, manufacturing, assembly.

            Direct Trauma: Jamming the affected finger during a fall or sporting event.

            Disease / Infection: Infections can cause swelling of surrounding tissues, and disease    can initiate abnormal growths that may affect the tendon or surrounding area, resulting in        diminished space for the tendon to function properly.  

Symptoms of Injury - The symptoms of Trigger Finger syndrome include, but are not limited to; severe pain, an annoying “snapping”, jerking”, “clicking” of the affected finger as it either snaps downward into a flexed forward (triggered) position into the palm of the hand and becomes stuck, or as it is moved back into an open, extended position. 

For those with advanced cases of Trigger Finger, It is usually the return of the finger to the “open”, extended position that results in the most pain and discomfort as a result of the adhesion being stuck on the outside of the distal end of the tendon sheath and it releasing and  “snapping” back into the extended, straight position. Swelling can be present, along with a sense of reduced circulation and cooling of the affected finger.  Symptoms are most always worse upon wakening as the finger is stiff and cold, which can be remedied by running the finger under warm water for about 5-10 minutes. 

Cause of Injury –

The cause of Trigger Finger, in most cases, results from a tendon that has been subjected to micro tears in the tissue, thus being subjected with the inability to heal properly.  This inability to heal appropriately causes a nodule or adhesion to form on the injured tendon as a means to heal itself and become stronger but the end result is a damaged area with a matrix of tissues over it as it rapidly attempted to heal the injury, which results in “over scarring”, creating an adhesion that it now too large and therefore cannot glide through the tendon sheath as it was intended to do. 

Instead, the adhesion gets caught on either the proximal of distal ends of the sheath and either keeps the finger from flexing, which causes it to “snap” downward into the palm of the hand, or upon trying to extend the finger it "jerks” backward into the extended position, and usually with a good amount of pain, depending upon the severity of the disorder.  Some people go for years with just a mild annoyance and others suffer severely with the inability to even use the affected finger.

Typical Treatment of Injury - There are two basic treatments for Trigger Finger.  The First is cortisone, where the affected tendon / tendon sheath are injected to reduce the inflammation, thereby reducing the size of the nodule /adhesion and thus allowing the tendon to glide through the sheath again with ease.  The second is surgery, where the tendon sheath is cut, in order to allow the nodule on the affected tendon to move without becoming stuck on either end of the sheath’s openings.

Atypical but Successful Treatment of Injury -  

The less recognized, but much more successful treatment of Trigger Finger, involves a natural process utilizing passive and active finger and wrist flexor muscle stretches along with active finger and wrist extension exercises that work to stretch and thin the tendon while breaking down the adhesion / nodule on the affected tendon so that it can simply glide through the tendon sheath with ease, without any “catching”, “jerking” or “snapping” of the tendon upon flexion or extension of the finger.

So you may wonder; why isn’t this non-invasive method used more often if it is so successful?  I have to say that either doctors’ do not know about it, or they do and are more interested in making the money from the cortisone treatments and/or surgery, whereas they have no ability to make money off the less-invasive modes of therapy utilizing stretch and exercise techniques.

Once of my favorite stretch-exercises to address Trigger Finger are the Flextend method which provides active stretching techniques with simultaneous exercise techniques, thereby correcting Trigger Finger faster than the use of other exercises, training programs and therapeutic processes.

Good luck, and remember, your health is in your hands!