Trigger Finger

I have had several trigger fingers. The medical term is digital tenovagintis stenosans. Basically it is caused when the sheath surrounding the tendon of a finger or thumb becomes restricted. The most logical explanation of why it is called trigger finger is that when the bent finger is straighten it makes a "popping" sound. The first time it was the pinkie finger on my right hand. This was several years ago. The doctor first tried injecting the affected area with a corticosteroid that is generally effective in over half of the patients. It did not work and I had the surgery. It is done under local anesthetic and is a relatively quick procedure. The incision is usually made in the crease of the hand. Healing is sometimes slowed by the opening and closing of the hand. Since then both thumbs have been repaired by surgery. In both instances I skipped the injection and went right to surgery. My middle finger on my left hand is now affected. I have been ignoring the pain and aggravation since early spring. My life has been too busy to deal with it. This past week I finally went to see the surgeon. he remembered that the shot did not do well the first time. I told him that unlike previous times when I was mentally prepared for the surgery, that I was having a hard time gearing up for it. I said I would like the injection. He told me to lay down on the table as "it hurts like a bastard". He had the same shot himself. I hope the 30 seconds of agony will give me several months of pain relief. The finger is moving freely and I am relatively pain free. However the palm of my hand where the injection was administered is very tender. I am icing the area as instructed. I hope I can avoid surgery until next summer. Today is day five since the injection. Hoping for the best.