Trigger Fingers
ith repetitive hand activity, patients sometimes develop a clicking
sensation to their fingers. When they bend their fingers inward, they may feel a
popping sensation. When they try to extend out again, the finger either gets stuck
or opens painfully. Sometimes the fingers may be unable to extend at all. This is a
"trigger finger."
Though many patients mistakenly think that their finger joints are dislocating, in actuality they have a nodule on the flexor tendon which catches on the tendon sheath. The nodule is unable to re-enter the tendon tunnel, thus preventing the tendon from re-extending. Multiple fingers can be involved at the same time.
In early cases, correction can be obtained with steroid injection into the area and work modification. More severe cases require surgery. A small incision is made in the the palm, and the edge of the tendon sheath is snipped. The finger can immediately move normally, and patients can return to modified work activities the next day. Within 10 days they can use their hands normally. This procedure is usually done under local anesthesia in either the office or the hospital.
Other Hand Surgeries:
|Carpal Tunnel Syndrome|
|Dupuytren's Contracture|
|Trigger Fingers|
|Ganglion Cysts|