Question: What is Trigger Finger?
Answer: Trigger finger is an often painful condition in which a finger or thumb gets caught in a curled, bent position. In severe cases the finger can not be straightened. In less severe cases of trigger finger the finger can be straightened with effort and the straightening is often a quick release accompanied by a snap (much like a gun trigger being released, hence the name trigger finger).
The muscles that control the fingers are located in your arms. Long tendons run down to your fingertips from these muscles. Tendon sheathes make a channel with your finger bones to guide the tendons when retracted or released.
With trigger finger a constriction in the tendon sheath or the development of a nodule on the tendon can cause the tendon to catch when retracted with the finger in the bent position. The snap release symptomatic of trigger finger occurs when the obstruction passes the tight confines and the tendon is free to slide easily once more.
The cause of trigger finger is often unknown. Trigger finger can develop as a repetitive stress injury, as the results of acute trauma, or it may be degenerative.
