Question: What causes trigger finger? Is surgery the only remedy?

Dr. Hibberd’s Answer:

A trigger finger results from an injury to the supporting tissue of a tendon at the small finger joint closest to the nail (distal joint).

When an extensor tendon "slips" over its "groove,” it overrides the edge of the joint, which becomes locked, forcing the end of the finger into a flexed "trigger" position. Most of the time the finger can to be manually straightened, but any attempt to flex usually snaps the joint into a flexed locked position.

New onset trigger finger often related to fracture or disruption of the cartilage/bone junction at the distal finger joint is usually treated with splinting. Occasionally, this condition may be related to erosive arthritic disease, and the treatment offered also will involve treating the predisposing disorder. Splinting failure is corrected with hand surgery to stabilize the tendon and will reduce further damage and loss of joint function.