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Normal Finger. The rings are called pulleys.

Normal Finger. The rings are called pulleys.

Trigger finger. Notice the swelling (bump) on the tendon.

Trigger finger. Notice the swelling (bump) on the tendon.

TRIGGER DIGIT

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How does it feel?

  • Your finger is sore and stiff

  • It catches or gets stuck when you bend it

What causes it?

  • Think of your finger like a fishing pole; you have rings to hold the lines in place

  • Tendons are the lines that muscles use to move bones. Your finger has five rings to hold the tendons in place

  • Out of the blue, for no rhyme or reason, healthy people doing healthy things get a swelling on the tendon

  • The swelling on the tendon has trouble passing through the ring

  • This may run in families--you may have a narrower tunnel

What can you do?

  • Monitor it- they are safe and benign

  • Cortisone injection

    • Works about 50% of the time

    • Can take up to two months to work

  • Surgery

Need help deciding how to treat it?