Trigger Finger……….Has Anyone Ever Had This Medical Problem?

Bavafongoul

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Has anyone had a medical malady called trigger finger? It started 2 months ago out of the wild blue yonder without
any warning signs. It is on my bridge hand and it is worsening and very painful. I have an appointment to see a hand
surgeon for evaluation and my primary physician indicated surgery is the most likely course of action because it is now
affecting my original finger and two more are showing the same symptoms. The initial course of action will probably be corticosteroid injection which is basically preliminary to requesting surgery.

How this came about seems like a total mystery but it is real, very painful and my finger gets locked up in a bent position
that I have to move back straight and doing that hurts a great deal. So right now I am taping my middle and ring fingers together on my bridge hand so that they remain straight and it does affect my bridge but it’s either that or I can’t play for very long due to painful hand positions……It really sucks.

So if anyone has suffered with this medical condition referred to as trigger finger, I’d appreciate any comments about what you did and how you are faring? It’s apparently caused by scar tissue buildup in a hand tendon sheath but I’ve never injured my left hand, only my right one. I still can’t figure out what caused this and don’t see the hand surgeon until the first week of April. It is a bizarre problem I never heard of.
 
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I have a brother who played enough tennis at a high level (state champion) that at age 50 his elbow would not allow for his arm to be straight (about 20º was as close as it would go). Accumulated high stress damage to the bones at the joints.
 
Sorry to hear this.

Funny you should start this thread. I was thinking about starting a similar thread on Dupuytren's Contracture. They are not the same but both affect the hand.

I have Dupuytren's and have been consulting with hand surgeons and looking at options. There are not many. Both of my hands are contracting and is making everything more difficult. As far as pool it is the bridge hand. The injection options that I have researched are at best 40% effective and I believe most opt for surgery. The injection option, as I have read, is incredibly painful and debilitating with limited results. On the other hand (pun intended) the surgery recovery and rehab time, as well as pain is also a long road. The thing I am most concerned with is the potential for nerve damage from the operation. And then even with these options there is a 20%+ chance of reoccurrence.

I am watching this thread and also hope to hear other's experiences.
 
I had trigger finger in my right hand pinkie. I had an injection last year which was uncomfortable but not really painful. Physical therapy involved squeezing a ball. After a couple of weeks it had cleared up. Unfortunately it is starting to come back so I am doing the therapy again.
 
joeski said:
I had trigger finger in my right hand pinkie. I had an injection last year which was uncomfortable but not really painful. Physical therapy involved squeezing a ball. After a couple of weeks it had cleared up. Unfortunately it is starting to come back so I am doing the therapy again.
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Thanks……my condition is spreading fast to my middle finger and pinky. The pads in my palm where my fingers connect when squeezed affect all my fingers by which pad I press. And it is a stinging pain that doesn’t subside quickly. It’s my ring finger on my bridge hand that gets frozen and straightening it is steadily becoming more painful and it’s getting worse.

I’m starting to tape my middle finger and ring finger straight so bending is not feasible. My finger is locking up 30-40 times a day……and the later in the day it happens, the more painful it becomes to straighten it. I can’t move it until after I manually straighten my finger and pop the knuckle. The longer it remains frozen, the more it hurts to straighten my crooked digit.

I have a lump in the palm of my hand that lines up with my trigger finger and you can see the tendon sheath coming to the surface skin. Pressing on it hurts like a SOB or just trying to press my hand flat on a surface. My concern is it’s been steadily getting worse and I never heard of a condition called trigger finger that only 2-3% of people develop……just my luck……right? Anyway, just looking to see how many other readers have suffered with this or know someone.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Thanks……my condition is spreading fast to my middle finger and pinky. The pads in my palm where my fingers connect when squeezed affect all my fingers by which pad I press. And it is a stinging pain that doesn’t subside quickly.

I have a lump in the palm of my hand that lines up with my trigger finger and you can see the tendon sheath coming to the surface skin. Pressing on it hurts like a SOB or just trying to press my hand flat on a surface.
Click to expand...
This is how my symptoms started. A nodule or bump inline with my ring and pinky on my left hand.
 
Sure have Bava. In the thumb knuckle of my right hand. Very uncomfortable and finally had an injection in the joint area. He had to squirt in several areas and was very painful..

Good news it never came back. That Ortho was not kidding when he said it would hurt!
 
so sorry to hear this

i know that when my ankle and back were in so much pain that i couldn’t walk or sit, only lay down without moving

that my doctor wanted to do surgery and said he thought i’d have to get an artificial ankle

then i went to an acupuncturist and was healed in about a month, stronger than ever

Frank Butler
Evolve Health + Wellness
(New York, NY)
 
Bavafongoul said:
Has anyone had a medical malady called trigger finger? It started 2 months ago out of the wild blue yonder without
any warning signs. It is on my bridge hand and it is worsening and very painful. I have an appointment to see a hand
surgeon for evaluation and my primary physician indicated surgery is the most likely course of action because it is now
affecting my original finger and two more are showing the same symptoms. The initial course of action will probably be corticosteroid injection which is basically preliminary to requesting surgery.

How this came about seems like a total mystery but it is real, very painful and my finger gets locked up in a bent position
that I have to move back straight and doing that hurts a great deal. So right now I am taping my middle and ring fingers together on my bridge hand so that they remain straight and it does affect my bridge but it’s either that or I can’t play for very long due to painful hand positions……It really sucks.

So if anyone has suffered with this medical condition referred to as trigger finger, I’d appreciate any comments about what you did and how you are faring? It’s apparently caused by scar tissue buildup in a hand tendon sheath but I’ve never injured my left hand, only my right one. I still can’t figure out what caused this and don’t see the hand surgeon until the first week of April. It is a bizarre problem I never heard of.
Click to expand...
I had the problem several years ago. Wore a brace for awhile, but eventually had to have corrective surgery. Very minor procedure (the binding tendon sheath is opened). NOW, I have the problem again with (go figure) my actual ‘trigger finger’ (Rt. Index). Worse in the morning. Numbness also (could hinder if ever in a gunfight😁).
 
Bavafongoul said:
Has anyone had a medical malady called trigger finger? It started 2 months ago out of the wild blue yonder without
any warning signs. It is on my bridge hand and it is worsening and very painful. I have an appointment to see a hand
surgeon for evaluation and my primary physician indicated surgery is the most likely course of action because it is now
affecting my original finger and two more are showing the same symptoms. The initial course of action will probably be corticosteroid injection which is basically preliminary to requesting surgery.

How this came about seems like a total mystery but it is real, very painful and my finger gets locked up in a bent position
that I have to move back straight and doing that hurts a great deal. So right now I am taping my middle and ring fingers together on my bridge hand so that they remain straight and it does affect my bridge but it’s either that or I can’t play for very long due to painful hand positions……It really sucks.

So if anyone has suffered with this medical condition referred to as trigger finger, I’d appreciate any comments about what you did and how you are faring? It’s apparently caused by scar tissue buildup in a hand tendon sheath but I’ve never injured my left hand, only my right one. I still can’t figure out what caused this and don’t see the hand surgeon until the first week of April. It is a bizarre problem I never heard of.
Click to expand...
better to have trigger finger than Peyronie's disease
 
Bavafongoul said:
Thanks……my condition is spreading fast to my middle finger and pinky. The pads in my palm where my fingers connect when squeezed affect all my fingers by which pad I press. And it is a stinging pain that doesn’t subside quickly. It’s my ring finger on my bridge hand that gets frozen and straightening it is steadily becoming more painful and it’s getting worse.

I’m starting to tape my middle finger and ring finger straight so bending is not feasible. My finger is locking up 30-40 times a day……and the later in the day it happens, the more painful it becomes to straighten it. I can’t move it until after I manually straighten my finger and pop the knuckle. The longer it remains frozen, the more it hurts to straighten my crooked digit.

I have a lump in the palm of my hand that lines up with my trigger finger and you can see the tendon sheath coming to the surface skin. Pressing on it hurts like a SOB or just trying to press my hand flat on a surface. My concern is it’s been steadily getting worse and I never heard of a condition called trigger finger that only 2-3% of people develop……just my luck……right? Anyway, just looking to see how many other readers have suffered with this or know someone.
Click to expand...
The middle finger on my right hand was severely dislocated and fractured in my late teens playing cricket. Sometimes when I wake up, it locks closed, and I have to open it out from the knuckle where it gets lodged in a specific position. I have had three surgeries on it since it happened. Thankfully, it has never cause me any great pain, but it has been a nuisance at times. I would say I have about 70% total mobility in it, and expect it to be like this for a while. Right now is the best it has been in years in all honesty, and my doctor actually told me that cuesports seemed to be good physio/maintenance for the issue. I guess this is a similar feeling to 'trigger finger' - hopefully it sorts itself out and doesn't impact you too badly in the future.

On my left side, following a physical altercation, I impacted the Ulnar nerve of my left arm. This was about 5 years ago, and the issue is totally resolved. I would randomly drop whatever was in my hand as the nerves ran a jolt through my arm at times. This was far more of a problem in my life than the finger. As I would forget about it, and look like a total spass dropping pints at the bar (and once a piece of pottery my nephew made at school on the floor - I felt so horrible). I actually stopped playing snooker for about a year because of it (It was before I played pool). I had a small surgery, and have been right as rain since.
 
Both of my my middle fingers are in the trigger position because I was born in New York.
All kidding aside my friends wife had two fingers done about three weeks ago and today
she an pick her nose with the best of them.
She said it was a minor procedure done upstairs in the Dr. office. A piece of cake.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Has anyone had a medical malady called trigger finger? It started 2 months ago out of the wild blue yonder without
any warning signs. It is on my bridge hand and it is worsening and very painful. I have an appointment to see a hand
surgeon for evaluation and my primary physician indicated surgery is the most likely course of action because it is now
affecting my original finger and two more are showing the same symptoms. The initial course of action will probably be corticosteroid injection which is basically preliminary to requesting surgery.

How this came about seems like a total mystery but it is real, very painful and my finger gets locked up in a bent position
that I have to move back straight and doing that hurts a great deal. So right now I am taping my middle and ring fingers together on my bridge hand so that they remain straight and it does affect my bridge but it’s either that or I can’t play for very long due to painful hand positions……It really sucks.

So if anyone has suffered with this medical condition referred to as trigger finger, I’d appreciate any comments about what you did and how you are faring? It’s apparently caused by scar tissue buildup in a hand tendon sheath but I’ve never injured my left hand, only my right one. I still can’t figure out what caused this and don’t see the hand surgeon until the first week of April. It is a bizarre problem I never heard of.
Click to expand...
 
Trigger finger release surgery is very minor and at least 95% successful. I’ve had releases done on 5 different fingers. It all started with carpal tunnel syndrome, which I had in both hands. I had both of those surgery’s first. I initially wore braces, had a lot of shots, which were very successful, but eventually all wore off. So seven surgeries in all over 5 to 7 years. My hands have been stable for three years now. I’m glad I did all those surgerys. It actually forced me into using an open bridge, which I never did in over 50 years of shooting pool. Love the open bridge now. The surgeries are considered routine and minor. It leaves a small scar, but that’s it. I’m back to playing guitar again and never thought that would be possible.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Has anyone had a medical malady called trigger finger? It started 2 months ago out of the wild blue yonder without
any warning signs. It is on my bridge hand and it is worsening and very painful. I have an appointment to see a hand
surgeon for evaluation and my primary physician indicated surgery is the most likely course of action because it is now
affecting my original finger and two more are showing the same symptoms. The initial course of action will probably be corticosteroid injection which is basically preliminary to requesting surgery.

How this came about seems like a total mystery but it is real, very painful and my finger gets locked up in a bent position
that I have to move back straight and doing that hurts a great deal. So right now I am taping my middle and ring fingers together on my bridge hand so that they remain straight and it does affect my bridge but it’s either that or I can’t play for very long due to painful hand positions……It really sucks.

So if anyone has suffered with this medical condition referred to as trigger finger, I’d appreciate any comments about what you did and how you are faring? It’s apparently caused by scar tissue buildup in a hand tendon sheath but I’ve never injured my left hand, only my right one. I still can’t figure out what caused this and don’t see the hand surgeon until the first week of April. It is a bizarre problem I never heard of.
Click to expand...
Feel for ya. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Has anyone had a medical malady called trigger finger? It started 2 months ago out of the wild blue yonder without
any warning signs. It is on my bridge hand and it is worsening and very painful. I have an appointment to see a hand
surgeon for evaluation and my primary physician indicated surgery is the most likely course of action because it is now
affecting my original finger and two more are showing the same symptoms. The initial course of action will probably be corticosteroid injection which is basically preliminary to requesting surgery.

How this came about seems like a total mystery but it is real, very painful and my finger gets locked up in a bent position
that I have to move back straight and doing that hurts a great deal. So right now I am taping my middle and ring fingers together on my bridge hand so that they remain straight and it does affect my bridge but it’s either that or I can’t play for very long due to painful hand positions……It really sucks.

So if anyone has suffered with this medical condition referred to as trigger finger, I’d appreciate any comments about what you did and how you are faring? It’s apparently caused by scar tissue buildup in a hand tendon sheath but I’ve never injured my left hand, only my right one. I still can’t figure out what caused this and don’t see the hand surgeon until the first week of April. It is a bizarre problem I never heard of.
Click to expand...
Btw... You might check with Hu. All the shooting and driving he's done with guys in those sports probably know exactly what's what.
 
Had the same, I was prescribed anti-inflammatory tablet and Fastum gel, they were all over the counter meds and warm compress and it greatly improved, after a year another finger is acting up, may need to do the same procedure again .

Diabetes also has an effect on this ailment
 
Bavafongoul said:
Has anyone had a medical malady called trigger finger? It started 2 months ago out of the wild blue yonder without
any warning signs. It is on my bridge hand and it is worsening and very painful. I have an appointment to see a hand
surgeon for evaluation and my primary physician indicated surgery is the most likely course of action because it is now
affecting my original finger and two more are showing the same symptoms. The initial course of action will probably be corticosteroid injection which is basically preliminary to requesting surgery.

How this came about seems like a total mystery but it is real, very painful and my finger gets locked up in a bent position
that I have to move back straight and doing that hurts a great deal. So right now I am taping my middle and ring fingers together on my bridge hand so that they remain straight and it does affect my bridge but it’s either that or I can’t play for very long due to painful hand positions……It really sucks.

So if anyone has suffered with this medical condition referred to as trigger finger, I’d appreciate any comments about what you did and how you are faring? It’s apparently caused by scar tissue buildup in a hand tendon sheath but I’ve never injured my left hand, only my right one. I still can’t figure out what caused this and don’t see the hand surgeon until the first week of April. It is a bizarre problem I never heard of.
Click to expand...


Yes to all the above. I got it in my right thumb about five years ago. I believe the doctor said it was a tendon getting hung up in there. He was an Orthopedic specialist and recommended surgery to repair it. They put me under local anesthesia and he worked on my thumb for maybe thirty minutes. After the surgery the healing process was fairly short, maybe a week or so before I could take the brace off my thumb. I could see the incision he made at the base of my thumb, a very clean job. It took a while to completely heal where I could use my thumb like before. It makes a big difference, especially with your thumb. No problems since then.
 
It's a fairly common problem.

I had it in my right hand ring fourth and fifth digits last year, mostly from riding my Harley.

I resolved mine with massage, stretching, basically physical therapy. It took real consistent dedication. I knew it would likely require surgery if I failed.

If it does not resolve you can do steroid injections. If that fails, there is a release surgery, very simple surgery really.

My mother-in-law had the surgery, worked out great.
 
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