Usually a single cortisone injection will resolve, at least temporarily, the trigger finger. The chance of the cortisone injection providing a lasting solution for a trigger finger is about 50%.
Is surgery necessary to treat trigger finger?
If the problem does not resolve, a surgery to release the tendon may be necessary. This procedure is a same day surgery that can be done under local anesthetic or regional nerve block. A small (less than 2 cm) incision is made in the skin, and the tight portion of the flexor tendon sheath is released.
Following the procedure, a sterile bandage is applied to the site of surgery. This bandage is removed after a few days, and full use of the finger may then begin. Activity of the finger is encouraged as this will help prevent new adhesions (scar) from forming where the surgery was performed. Full recovery is expected for surgery.
What are the possible complications of a trigger finger release?
Trigger finger surgery is very safe, but there are possible complications. The most common problem is that the trigger finger can come back if the tendon sheath is not adequately released. Other possible problems include infection, stiffness of the finger, and damage to the nerves of the finger. The likelihood of these problems is very small, and trigger finger surgery has a very high success rate.
The images in this article were generously provided by Medical Multimedia Group, Inc.
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