Many people suffer from trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis) which is a common condition involving the thumb and in some cases multiple fingers on the hand. Trigger finger surgery is necessary when the flexor tendons that bend the fingers do not have sufficient room to pass through a tunnel in the palm at the base of each finger. The actual tissue that allows for the gliding motion is called the tenosynovium and this may swell when we overuse our hands, during an injury, if you suffer from arthritis, or other diseases. Trigger finger surgery may also be needed when this tissue enlarges for no apparent reason at all. Either way, when this tissue becomes enlarged, there will not be sufficient room for the tendon to glide freely. The engorged lump of tenosynovium will have to squeeze through a pulley and it will pop out to the other side. This "triggering" effect may cause popping or the finger may become locked down to the palm. When this occurs, trigger finger surgery will become required.

Brown Endoscopic Trigger Release Procedure is Used as the Treatment of Choice for Trigger Finger Surgery

Having an in depth understanding of how this occurs and why trigger finger surgery is needed, Dr. Brown saw a need to create a method that would be minimally invasive to the patient while treating the problem. He developed the Brown Endoscopic Trigger Release (BETR) procedure to do just this. During trigger finger surgery, two small incisions are made and the hand surgeon can repair the tendon endoscopically. The incisions are so small, they do not require stitches but are given a light dressing and Steri-Strips are placed over the incisions. A special anesthetic is used to remove the pain long term and this results in a virtually pain free procedure. After only seven days the Steri-Stips are removed at home and the patient has no restrictions.

If you are experiencing these symptoms and think you are in need of trigger finger treatment, you have come to the right place. If not treated, the blood supply to the tendon can be compromised, causing it to rupture. Don't be afraid – we are good at what we do and we can help you get the use of your hands back! Call us today to set up a consultation to discuss trigger finger surgery.

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Find Out All of the Options Before You Choose Trigger Finger Surgery

[Posted on Nov 18]

Dealing with trigger finger can sometimes make your life difficult. If you are not able to use one of your fingers effectively at all times, then it could make even the simplest of tasks hard for you. If you want to make sure that this condition doesn’t get in the way of your everyday life, then you should consider what your options are, including thinking about trigger finger surgery. While surgery may not be something that you’d like to go through, it could be the best solution for your issues.

Before you agree to trigger finger surgery, you will need to have a proper examination of your finger by qualified hand doctors. If you visit the Brown Hand Center, we can give you a comprehensive examination that will determine whether or not this is the condition that you have. If we confirm that you have trigger finger, then we will explain some of your options to you. It’s not always necessary to just to jump straight to surgery, when there are some other options open to you.

If you do have trigger finger one option that you can try is a steroid injection around the inflamed tendon. This is something that works for a lot of patients and it means that they don’t have to go through surgery. You can try this to see if it works, but if it does not, then you will need to consider something else. Sometimes, hand specialists will recommend using a splint on your finger to try and keep it straight. This is often a good answer to the problem, but it does not work for all patients.

When you have run out of other options, trigger finger surgery may be the only one that you have left. If this is the case, then you should talk it over with the doctors at the Brown Hand Center first. We can help explain the procedure to you so that you will end up being a lot more comfortable with this course of treatment. We’ll also make sure that you are given excellent instructions for how to care for your finger once the surgery is done and you’re back at home. With our help, your finger can get back to normal in no time.