Trigger Finger: Is Your Finger Locked In A Closed Position?

Trigger finger is the term that’s used when your finger becomes locked in the closed, or flexed, position.  This painful phenomenon can occur in any finger and in the thumb, too.  Your finger may “click” when you force it open.

Muscles 101–Background:

Muscles are made up of two parts:  the belly of the muscle and the tendons.  The tendons are tough tissue (think of strapping tape) that attach a muscle to a bone.  Tendons run through a sheath or “tube” (like electrical wires in a plastic protective tube.)

The muscles that move your fingers into flexion (closing) are actually in your lower arm on the palm side and they run almost to the crease of your elbow.  The tendon end of the finger muscles attaches to your finger bones.  That’s how you are able to move your fingers.

What causes trigger finger?

Using your hand for long periods of time with your fingers closed or clasped shut (the muscles are contracted) can cause your finger muscles to want to stay in a contracted position.  It’s as though they are “stuck” in that position.

Heavy pressure into the area of the finger joints from use of something like a cane or oars can also cause trigger finger.

A possible reason for trigger finger is

the tendon that allows flexion (closing the finger) gets stuck in its sheath.

The tendon may get stuck on an area of enlargement in the sheath from swelling.  Or the tendon may itself have a “knot” causing the restriction.  These are called “fascial entrapments.”

Muscle stretching exercises do not appear to help.

What to do?

The goal is to get the tendon moving smoothly through its sheath again.

Natural Treatment:  Firm deep pressure to the point of restriction may help.  That means press deeply into the area just below the knuckles on the palm side of your hand.  You can use the thumb or finger of your other hand, a massage “tool” or knob, or any other method of applying enough pressure to “release” the entrapment.

Additionally, massaging the palm side of your forearm (lower arm) and looking for trigger points (crabby areas of muscle that refer pain elsewhere) may be of some benefit.  Some massage therapists can get deeply into your palm/finger joint area if you are not able to.

Conventional Medical Treatment:  Some doctors may offer surgery to fix the trigger finger but according to Travell and Simons, both medical doctors, who wrote The Trigger Point Manuals there is a simple medical fix.  They wrote that trigger finger can be promptly and permanently cured by a single injection of procaine (similar to novacaine, a numbing agent.)  The injection would be deep into the area of the palm/finger joint.  There are newer drugs being used today for anesthesia and nerve block.

Some people may have a reaction to this type of medicine and so, as usual, I would suggest that the first line of treatment be the most natural.

You may have trigger finger by itself or with other symptoms in your carpal tunnel area.  In any case, it is possible to release your trigger finger simply.