Trigger Finger
 

Several weeks ago I developed a trigger finger. Another ailment to add to my aging body. It is worse during the night. Stretching it gives temporary relief. Do these go away without medical intervention?

I had to get medical treatment for mine. When I was with Trek, I spent a lot of time using a Dynafile for finishing work on frames. That aggravated the tendons in my right hand, where the fingers would sometimes lock up, and I'd have to pry them open. One time, years after I left Trek, I was using a screwdriver and found I could not open my hand to release the screwdriver. Tried prying it open, but couldn't do that, either. I ended up going to a hand surgeon, who had me place my hand on a table. He said, "this is going to hurt," and he whacked hard to force the fingers open. Good lord, it DID hurt! But it worked. He then injected cortisone into the joint and sent me home. I haven't had a problem with those tendons since.

Go away? Without medical intervention, probably not.

I've had it twice. Once in each hand's ring finger. Took a steroid injection to relieve the tendon sheath inflammation causing it both times.

Neither have reoccured though the one on my right hand (first instance) seems a little 'sticky' still but nothing like it was when it first appeared.

I had trigger finger in three fingers and the thumb on my right hand. My little finger has Dupuytren's Contracture, and I think that is why I didn't have trigger finger in that finger. Beyond doing some exercises and wearing a brace at night, I've had no medical intervention. I'm down to just my middle finger triggering. Yes, it can get better without injections or surgery, but I understand that surgery is often required to fix severe cases. Cortisone injections are usually successful, but temporary.

I found that wearing a brace (the hand therapist made me a full-hand brace, but one of those finger spints works as well) while sleeping is helpful. If I don't wear it, I usually wake up with an activated trigger finger.