Anyone have trigger finger?

[tctrek]

I have a condition called trigger finger where the tendons controlling the flexing/bending of the ring and middle fingers of my right hand get swollen and they get stuck in the sheath that covers the tendon. This causes popping and locking of the fingers. They either won't bend at all, or if they do bend, they lock to the palm of my hand and I have to unlock them.

I've had one cortisone shot a few months ago, which made it stop, but now it's back. I've done some reading and it seems that 50% of the time the permanent correction is surgery.

I know I am aggravating it when braking on the bike. My right hand is something like a claw after a ride and I have to soak it in warm water to get it to move.

Anyone have any experience with this? Heard of other options besides surgery?

[Possegal]

My sister has this. I know she had a cortisone shot last year sometime and it is still fine. But I think she also may have had surgery on the other hand. But I'm not really sure. I can ask her for you though. I've had occasional times where this happened with my finger, but it is never a problem. I just remember being amazed that it had a name and wasn't just something funky with my hand. :)

[tctrek]

Thanks. I have to go have another &*%$# shot this week... they hurt like the dickens. That will be my 2nd shot. They will only give the shot 3 times in the same spot. If it doesn't permanently heal after the 3rd shot they say surgery is the next option. I really would like to avoid that if I can.

[OakLeaf]

I don't know anything about it specifically, but in general, tendon conditions respond well to acupuncture and neuromuscular massage. Have you tried either one of those?

[tctrek]

Holy cow! I've been googling trigger finger all day and this article didn't come up. I just googled trigger finger and acupuncture and this came up: http://www.acupuncture-boston.com/trigger.php

It's certainly worth looking at. I guess the orthopedic surgeon wouldn't have mentioned that it can even come back after surgery.

[Pedal Wench]

I have it too - my brother too. Mine improved a lot after my first (and only) cortisone shot. That was about 4 years ago, and after my 24-hour races, it comes back, but subsides as my riding becomes normal again.

My doctor is also a cyclist, so I felt he had a good grasp (pun intended!) of what I put my hands through. He's up at Resurgens on P'tree/Dunwoody.

http://www.resurgens.com/pages/staff/member/66/Frank_R._Joseph,_M.D.

When I was looking for a doctor, I saw his bio: Dr. Joseph is married with two children. His current hobbies include running, biking, scuba diving and mountain climbing. Dr. Joseph has completed the New York City Marathon and has scaled the Grand Teton.

Sold!

[ClockworkOrange]

I was diagnosed with Trigger Thumb/Finger a while back, I had a cortisone shot that did not seem to do much. I bought myself a cheap wrist support http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/Missbe/triggerthumb-1.jpg and when it was very painful, I would wear it to work, just to remind myself not to use it unnecessarily.

I also try to use my left hand wherever possible but I have found it has eased up a lot.

Also occasionally it pops and this can happen even with a very gentle movement. For me, resting it helps but it is the most silly of tasks that so aggravates, like putting on my knicks! :D

Hope this helps.

Clock

[northstar]

My dad, while remodeling a bathroom in their house, developed trigger finger this winter. It hurt him so badly, he was physically sick. It showed up on a Saturday...he went to the doc on Monday and had surgery on Tuesday. Tuesday already he was picking up my daughter (then 6 mos old).

The surgery was wonderfully helpful for him, really quickly. He's a tough old farmer who never complains - so I can't imagine how much it must have been hurting!

[ms1]

She got surgery and is now fine. At the time, she was about 60 years old, so I'd imagine that a younger person would recover even more quickly (and it took her a few weeks).