Symptoms of Trigger Finger Syndrome

Affecting millions of individuals annually, the devastating symptoms of Trigger Finger Syndrome (Stenosing Tenosynovitis) can vary from simply annoying to completely disabling.

• Pain at base of finger(s).
• "Catching of finger(s) or Thumb as it is flexed or extended.
• Finger "locks" in a flexed position in the palm of the hand.
• Finger "locks: in an extended, straight position.
• Symptoms are usually worse in the morning when the hands are cold.
• Cold increases "catching" sensation.
• Symptoms decrease when hands are warmed up.
• Performing gripping, finger flexion activities increases severity of symptoms.

Trigger Finger can affect any finger, including the thumb (Trigger Thumb) causing the finger to "skip" and "snap" down into the palm of the hand as the finger is flexed (bent towards the palm of the hand). This finger often becomes stuck in the flexed position and may have to manually be extended by the opposing hand to the extended, straight position. Most often, as the finger is extended on it's own, it "snaps" back into the extended position.

The reason for this is that as the finger is flexed, the nodule / adhesion enters the tendon sheath where it meets resistance at the entrance. As pressure is applied, the nodule / adhesion "jumps" through the sheath and out the other end of the tendon sheath. As the finger is extended, the nodule / adhesion usually meets more resistance as the nodule / adhesion is often flatter / wider on the back end, causing even more difficulty in straightening the finger and thus the "snapping" is greater as the finger is extended into the straight position.

It is like you trying to hold someone back as they push against you and then all of a sudden you let them go and they fly forward. It is the build-up of pressure against resistance, and then the resistance is let go.

The "snapping" of the finger as it moves into either flexion or extension is frequently associated with pain at the base of the digit on the palm of the hand.