Trigger Finger

Trigger Finger



So you been diagnosed with the trigger finger now what.....

When patients first notice a trigger finger they’re usually very concerned. Trigger finger causes a snapping and sometimes pain in the hand and often leads to decreased movement in the finger. Most people think that this is a very uncommon condition. The truth is that is it is one of the most common conditions that hand surgeons treat.

In order to understand what a trigger fingers is you first have to understand a little bit about the anatomy of the hand. Muscles in the forearm become tendons in the hand that eventually insert into the bone. When the muscles contract, they pull on the tendons which subsequently move the bones across the joints. These tendon run through structures called pulleys. The purpose of the pulleys is to keep the tendons near the bone in order to allow more motion. Sometimes the tendons get irritated and thickened and sometimes the pulleys get thickened and this can cause a snapping as the tendon moves through the pulley. This is trigger finger. Sometimes it goes away on its own but sometimes it doesn’t and sometimes the finger can actually get stuck in one position.

There are several treatment options have been described for this including splinting injections and even surgery. Most likely on the first visit the Dr. will offer you an injection. This is a steroid injection given directly into the tendon sheath that will help decrease inflammation. At first you may notice increased snapping and clicking in the finger, but eventually it should decrease. The results of steroid injections are quite good depending on the severity of your condition. Sometimes if these measures do not work then surgery is indicated. The procedure can sometimes be done in the office with a needle but often needs to be done in the operating room under a local anesthetic. The results of this treatment are excellent and most people go back to normal without any evidence of anymore triggering.

Dr. Jack Choueka is an Adult and Pediatric Upper Extremity Surgeon

and Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at Maimonides Medical Center. 

Award winning hand surgeon Dr. Jack Choueka provides treatment for

all disorders of the upper extremity, including carpal tunnel syndrome,

arthritis, trauma, rotator cuff disease, and sports-related shoulder, elbow and wrist problems. He performs state-of-the-art surgery, including shoulder, elbow and wrist replacements. Dr. Choueka is a summa cum laude graduate from State University of New York Health Science Center’s Medical School; he completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopaedic Institute.

Dr. Choueka can be reached at 718-283-7400