Trigger Finger is a characteristic condition in which the patient reports that one or more of their fingers close but do not open easily or open but have difficulty bending. Many times when the finger opens, there is a slight bounce.
The condition can be congenital when it mainly affects the thumb, or acquired when it is due to thickening and narrowing of the tendon sheath or secondary local thickening of the tendon itself.
The narrowing usually occurs on the palm, at the level of the transverse crease.
The mechanism is not precisely known, but studies have shown that at the level of the 1st fibrous ring, histological changes occur in both the tendon and the sheath, called fibrochondral metaplasia. This means that certain cells change and take on the characteristics of cartilage cells. That is, they show an increase in both size and number.
The surface of the tendon and the sheath change and lose their slipperiness. In advanced stages, the disease may not allow the finger to fully extend.
Trigger Finger – Treatment
Treatment can be conservative (local cortisone injection) with poor results, while surgical treatment provides the definitive solution to the problem.
The operation is performed under local or regional anesthesia, in the day hospital ward, and consists of a longitudinal (in the direction of the finger) transection of the fibrous ring of the sheath and release of the tendons.
Orthopedician Antonis Vasiliadis is at your disposal to fully inform you about taking a medical history and to answer your questions. Contact the Orthopedician and schedule your appointment.
