got the trigger finger

the_grube

the_grube

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as in https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trigger-finger/symptoms-causes/syc-20365100 Lots of soreness in the right hand, and the ring finger locks pretty bad if I don't splint at night.. Been dealing with it for a couple weeks. Started taking nsaids and doing some tendon gliding exercises last week, not really getting a lot better. Gonna make an appointment with the Dr. soon if it doesn't heal up with self-care

Anyone else dealt with or dealing with this; doubt I'm the only one. Did you take time off from fly fishing to let it heal up?
 
Hope it heals. I've not had that condition. I've had my fingers and hands cramp up, painful enough.
 
I have had 6 trigger fingers. 2 fixed with a shot. A few weeks downtime. 1 fixed with a shot, until it wasn't. So 4 surgeries. Not a big deal, just some downtime.

IMHO, the sooner you get it looked at, the better you are...
 
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I got it last year, at least I think it was trigger finger aka pitchers finger. I was making the bed and stretching one corner if the fitted sheet very aggressively down over the mattress and felt a pop in my left middle finger. There was no pain, but I could no longer straighten the tip of that finger, it just drooped. I could lift it up with the other hand but as soon as I let go it would droop back down, very weird.

I think what happens is the tendon on the top of the finger tears or detaches so it can’t “pull” the tip back up when the finger is straightened.

I just taped it to a straight piece of deburred aluminum for a splint and kept it splinted for about 8 weeks. Actually I bought some Velcro finger splints off Amazon later on that were more comfortable.

The top of my finger in the middle section stayed swollen for a long time, (even after the splint was removed) but it was never painful.

Attached is a pic just after it happened, with the first iteration of my homemade splint.
IMG_5253.jpeg

If you don’t splint it straight, then the tendon will heal with it in the drooped position, and you wont be able to straighten it again without surgery. So I was pretty vigilant about keeping it splinted 24/7.
 
I had my right ring finger locking up quite a bit last fall. Was thinking I'd have to have something done about it, but the lull in fishing over the winter seems to have let it heal.
Hoping it doesn't make another appearance this summer
 
Northern said:
I had my right ring finger locking up quite a bit last fall. Was thinking I'd have to have something done about it, but the lull in fishing over the winter seems to have let it heal.
Hoping it doesn't make another appearance this summer
Click to expand...
Same finger years ago , got bad , got a shot in it . Fixed it for awhile , came back even worse , another shot , and it fixed it , never had a problem again. Gotta be 20 years ago now .

Also had carpal tunnel both hands , tried the shots a couple times , therapy. Finally surgery , never another issue .
 
wanderingrichard said:
So this is what you're talking about
Dupuytren's contracture https://g.co/kgs/3htKVpo

There are ways to fix it without surgery, but you gotta go see the doctor 1st.
Click to expand...
That's one form, but there are others that are just swelling of either the tendon or the sheath it runs through, with various causes. One of those is repetitive use; like clutching a rod grip for hours and days at a time. (And in my case, 30 years of pipetting in a lab probably didn't help!)
I believe Dupuytren's causes a permanent contraction and usually requires surgery, whereas classic "trigger finger" usually presents as a finger - often the ring - catching in place when you try to straighten it. You can manually pull it straight, but it pops, clicks, and sometimes hurts.
 
wanderingrichard said:
So this is what you're talking about
Dupuytren's contracture https://g.co/kgs/3htKVpo

There are ways to fix it without surgery, but you gotta go see the doctor 1st.
Click to expand...
Trigger finger is not the same. Different causes and different treatments.

See a doctor and let them determine the issue and solution.
 
Northern said:
That's one form, but there are others that are just swelling of either the tendon or the sheath it runs through, with various causes. One of those is repetitive use; like clutching a rod grip for hours and days at a time. (And in my case, 30 years of pipetting in a lab probably didn't help!)
I believe Dupuytren's causes a permanent contraction and usually requires surgery, whereas classic "trigger finger" usually presents as a finger - often the ring - catching in place when you try to straighten it. You can manually pull it straight, but it pops, clicks, and sometimes hurts.
Click to expand...
Mine was the classic trigger finger I guess , the shot fixed it . Yes it would go crooked , wouldn’t go back straight unless I pulled it straight , and was a bit painful . Most likely over 40 years as a steel worker.
 
Bummer. Hope you heal quickly. I read the title and thought someone got skunked on triggerfish :rolleyes:
 
Got it in my left middle and ring fingers thanks to a decade or so of competitive rock climbing. Playing guitar probably doesn't help...

So far I just deal with it but I'm wondering if surgery is in the cards in the future. Funnily enough it only really flares up when family drama unfolds.
 
one benefit, I'm learning how to grip a fly rod handle with just enough pressure, not enough to crack a walnut. It's amazing how little pressure it takes.
 
While waiting for the last few weeks to hear back from the orthopedist with a cortisone shot appointment, I decided to try some self-care things that my GP recommended. Splinting at night, passive stretching exercises and graston technique (using a serving spoon from my kitchen) have resulted in almost complete range of motion restored and probably 60-70% of my strength restored. The remaining restriction is making a tight fist or trying to grip small diameter things tightly. Seems like the stretching was only going so far; been doing that for months. The graston technique seems to have help get things moving again. Ice and heat has been helpful as well. I'm hoping that if/when the orthopedist calls back I'll be able to say 'no thanks'.
 
the_grube said:
While waiting for the last few weeks to hear back from the orthopedist with a cortisone shot appointment, I decided to try some self-care things that my GP recommended. Splinting at night, passive stretching exercises and graston technique (using a serving spoon from my kitchen) have resulted in almost complete range of motion restored and probably 60-70% of my strength restored. The remaining restriction is making a tight fist or trying to grip small diameter things tightly. Seems like the stretching was only going so far; been doing that for months. The graston technique seems to have help get things moving again. Ice and heat has been helpful as well. I'm hoping that if/when the orthopedist calls back I'll be able to say 'no thanks'.
Click to expand...
My problem is what my Dr calls the “I’m mad at you finger on my right hand”. I woke up one morning with my right hand in a fist and couldn’t straighten out my index finger on my right hand. I have been splintering at night and doing some stretching exercises for the past few weeks. While it seem a little better I’m really hoping it goes away in time for my albacore trips next month.
 
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