Information for Patients

From the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Trigger Finger

by George L. Yeh, MD; Scott W. Wolfe, MD

Trigger finger, or tendon entrapment of the digits, is one of the most common causes of hand pain and disability. The complaints can range from mild pain and stiffness in the involved finger to a locked and contracted joint. Trigger finger is characterized by stenosing tendovaginitis of the flexor tendon sheath at the level of the metacarpal head. Tendovaginitis refers to the inflamed and thickened A1 pulley that characterizes the disorder. Trigger fingers affects people in all age groups, but it is most common in the fifth and sixth decades. The condition occurs two to six more times more frequently in women than in men. Involvement of multiple fingers is not unusual, and the thumb is the most commonly affected digit, followed by the ring, long, little, and index fingers.

The pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management options are extensively reviewed. Surgical techniques decribed include Open release and percuatneous release (Eastwood procedure).

Keywords: TF, trigger digit, snapping digit, locking digit, stenosing tendovaginitis, peritendinitis stenosans, digitus saltans, flexor tendon entrapment, incidence, mechanism of injury, etiology, diagnosis, patient history, physical examination, imaging, radiography, differential diagnosis, management, surgical treatment, surgical techniques, nonsurgical treatment, indications, contraindications, open release, percutaneous release, Eastwood procedure, pulley release, complications, outcomes, rehabilitation

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