Sometimes you bend your finger and it gets stuck in that position. And when you try to straighten it, it seems as if trigger has been pulled. This condition of the finger is called trigger finger and the is also called stenosing tenosynovitis in the medical terminology.
It happens when the space surrounding the tendon within the affected finger is impacted due to inflammation. If the finger remains in that position, it can be locked in the same bent angle.
It has been seen that people who are either habitual or in a work which requires bending their fingers are at more risk of developing trigger finger. Women with diabetes are also more prone to get affected. How do you treat the issue, depends mostly on the causes and the severity of the issue at hand?
Check these Symptoms to know more about Trigger Finger
There might be some variation in the symptoms and causes of trigger finger and some are:
- When you move your finger, you feel clicking or popping sensation in it.
- In a bent position, finger tend to catch or lock when you immediately straighten it.
- When you wake up in the morning and feel stiffness in your fingers.
- There is any tenderness or bump on the palm of the problematic finger.
- When finger is locked in the bent position, and you find it hard to straighten it.
Trigger finger is not about any finger; it can affect thumb as well. At times two or more than two fingers can also get pain which becomes very hard to manage. The most conductive situation for trigger finger is morning when you wake up and bend your body parts.
You should consult doctor immediately when there is any inflammation or hotness in the finger or surrounded area. It could lead to infection if left ignored.
Probable Causes of Trigger Finger
The muscles are attached to the bone with the help of fibrous codes, i.e., tendons. There is a protective sheath which surrounds each tendon. When the protective sheath gets inflamed or irritated, it leads to trigger finger. It hampers the ordinary movement of the tendon through its sheath which becomes problematic later on.
When the irritation of the tendon remains there for long, it leads to thickening, scarring as well as formation of some nodules, bumps type within the tendons. It interferes with the normal movement of the tendon, causing it to swell.
How to Prevent Trigger Finger?
You need to be careful and need not do following to keep yourself safe from probable risk:
- People with rheumatoid arthritis or any diabetic history are more at risk of developing trigger finger
- Sometimes in the first six months of any complicated surgery of carpal tunnel syndrome, the fingers can develop the issue
- Any particular movement, hobby or work which requires bending of hands increases your chances of trigger finger
- Since incidents of arthritis and osteoporosis are more amongst women than men, thus trigger finger is also more in women.
There could be many other reasons for development of trigger finger. You just need to be careful in handling and managing your body movements, mainly fingers so you avoid any injury or chance of getting hurt.