Well, it's not THE trigger finger but I woke up the other morning with the middle finger of my left hand bent and unable to straghten without a pop. The knuckle also seems a bit swollen. Anybody have any good remedies short of surgery?

What does your doctor say about it?

Bob

Sometimes a brace may work but surgery is usually the only option.

Just had my second steroid injection on my trigger (ring) finger of right hand. First started in 2019 and finger popped constantly with some pain. Took 3-4 days to work and did so wonderfully for 7-8 months. Came back slowly mid-2020 with pain and sometimes popping. Kaiser Permanente defaults to try two injections and if keeps coming back, get the surgery. So we'll see...trigger finger did go away completley as did pain in 24 hours or less.

Had same thing happen about a month ago with ring finger. Wife had same thing couple years ago.

All that was needed was an injection of cortisone. Surgery not needed. You get a mild sting but not a big deal.

Had and have the same problem with the first two fingers of my left hand. X-Rays ordered by my GP showed that I have the beginnings of Arthritis in the fingers of the left hand. I was given a topical gel to apply, and prescribed Methotrexate tablets. The arthritis cleared up in about a months time. However, seems after 3 years, the problems have cropped up again. I hope another course of the same treatment will resolve the problem again.

A hemp plant derivative called CBD balm is amazing for various kinds of muscle and joint pain. My neurosurgeon said he had to offer non-narcotic things for pain relief, and gave us a sample to take home.

My wife (72 y/o) has arthritic difficulties in her left hand with stiffness and pain. On our way home from the doctor, she rubbed the balm on her hand - Voila' within ten minutes the pain and stiffness was gone!!

Now, I am a serious skeptic concerning miracle cures. That said, I tried it on some of my ailments, neck and lower back pain. Holy Moly! It works! Although it is derived from the same plant that produces marijuana, it does not commonly have the psychoactive compound that produces euphoria. As far as I know, it is legal in most, if not all, states.

The downside is that it could potentially cause one to test positive for cannabinoids on a drug test. If you have jobs that require drug testing , check with Human Resources to be certain that you will not be penalized for using the balm or the investable versions. Police and other LEOs should make very certain it is permitted.

The first rule in medicine is "premium non nocere", that is "First, do no harm!" I have read extensively and, other than the caveat above, there is no side effect in the literature that I have found that is remotely harmful.

A note of caution - in states like Colorado, Oregon, Colorado and others where marijuana use is legal, there may be compounds that contain the psychoactive component. That compounding will definitely produce the effect and test positive for cannabinoids... some may find that a side benefit for recreation, but will have a positive test and consequences.

Simply -it works!

I’ve had surgery for it on the middle and index finger of my left hand and the middle finger of my right hand already. Next Monday I get the index finger of my right hand done. Cortisone shots don’t work for me but the surgery has resolved the issue. It doesn’t stop the arthritis but that’s not the issue here. Think of it as carpal tunnel of the fingers. It is a sleeve that the tendon runs through that they cut open to eliminate the binding.

quote:

Originally posted by tleddy:
A hemp plant derivative called CBD balm is amazing for various kinds of muscle and joint pain.

Like various other nontraditional medicine (essential oils, nutritional supplements, etc.), CBD's effectiveness is scientifically unproven, and results are hit or miss.

Personally, I've tried CBD cream, and unfortunately it had no noticeable effect.

Similarly, some people swear by Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements for joint paint and arthritis relief, but I've tried it (for an extended period even) and it had no noticeable effect. And the research literature is similarly inconclusive.

But I know of people who swear by both of the above. Whether there's really something to those, or it's just the ever-powerful placebo effect, is for someone smarter than me to figure out.

I had trigger thumb a couple of years ago, it would even pop when I bent it. I got a cortisone shot right in the joint (ouch!) and it got better. It is fine right now. Good luck to you.

Woke up last week with trigger finger on both hands. That sucks as I shoot hand guns right handed and rifles left handed. Once I get em moving they seem okay but seems to be getting worse and worse each day and its fucking irritating as hell. Sounds like cortisone is the next step.

quote:

Originally posted by hberttmank:
I had trigger thumb a couple of years ago, it would even pop when I bent it. I got a cortisone shot right in the joint (ouch!) and it got better. It is fine right now. Good luck to you.

Same here but about four years ago, it's fine today.

On the pain part, OUCH! My doctor, the one who did my shoulder a year or so before is the one that handled this. He gave me a local in the thumb area, let it work (?) then did the deed with the needle. His words before inserting it were "This is going to hurt, don't move"

I don't ever remember saying a four letter word used to describe used food so many times repeatedly and as rapidly as I did...........

You can only do cortisone a couple/few times. You will need surgery, eventually.

One of the most feared things is when the doctor says "this may cause some minor discomfort". Yeah, right. For him, not you. For you its gonna hurt like hell.

I didn't hate druggies. I'm a live and let live kind of guy. But when they over did it and ruined our pain management system, I took offense.

My medicare insurance co requires two steroid injection prior to surgery.All of them failed after a short time. I just had my forth surgery. First 3 were outpatient procedures under propofol. An incision is made in the upper palm and the sheath is opened allowing the tendon to move freely.

Last week, my hand surgeon used another technique. No sedation required.Doc deadens the hand via injection. Then using a needle, he presses it into the hand and after locating the trouble spot, he moves the needle back and forth splitting the sheath open and freeing the tendon. No stitches required as there is only the small needle puncture. Sore for a few days but recovery faster than when incision technique used. Within 3 days I was playing guitar for short sessions of a few minutes. A week later almost back to normal.

Last surgery was on long finger left hand.


After I retired, I began playing guitar a lot more. Doc thinks this may be the cause. Well, that and being 72 years old.

I suggest trying to find a hand specialist who knows the newer procedure I described. It doesn’t always work I was told, so the incision surgery may be required.

The painful part is the injection. The needle surgery is painless after the numbing injection.

Good luck.