Trigger Finger
A finger or thumb that clicks, catches or locks bent, then snaps straight. A tendon is catching at the mouth of its tunnel. Very fixable: an injection works for most, and a small operation for the rest.
Typical signs: a painful click or catch when you bend or straighten a finger or thumb, often worst in the morning. There may be a tender lump in the palm at the base of the finger. In bad cases the finger gets stuck bent and needs help to straighten.
Why it happens: the tendon or its tunnel thickens so the tendon can’t glide smoothly. It’s more common over 40, in women, and in people with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or gout. Often there’s no clear cause.
Diagnosis: from what your GP sees and feels. Tests and scans are rarely needed.
The trigger finger ladder
Mild cases can settle on their own. If it’s painful or getting in the way, an injection or splint is first, surgery if it keeps coming back.
- Step 1 · Self-careWait and adjustEase off forceful gripping and tools that press into the palm. Padded gloves help.
- Works
- Some mild cases recover within weeks without treatment
- Cost
- Free
- How long
- A few weeks
- Watch for
- Forcing a locked finger straight repeatedly can make it sorer.
If it only clicks now and then without pain, it can wait.
- Step 2 · PharmacyNight splintA small splint that keeps the finger straight overnight. A hand therapist can fit one.
- Works
- Weak evidence, but helps some people with mild triggering and avoids a needle
- Cost
- About $20–50, or fitted by a hand therapist
- How long
- 3–12 weeks
- Watch for
- Stiffness; take it off during the day.
A lollipop stick and tape works as a trial run.
- Step 3 · ProcedureSteroid (cortisone) injectionAn injection into the tendon sheath in the palm. A second one is sometimes tried.
- Works
- Relieves pain and triggering in about 7 in 10; less likely to work, and more likely to return, with diabetes
- Cost
- About $0–250 depending on the clinic; sometimes bulk-billed
- How long
- Often helps within days, sometimes a few weeks
- Watch for
- Skin thinning or lightening; brief pain flare. Diabetes: blood sugar can rise for a few days.
Small needle, big results for most fingers.
- Step 4 · SpecialistSurgery (trigger finger release)A small cut in the palm under local anaesthetic to open the tunnel. Offered if triggering persists or returns after injections, if the finger is locked, or often earlier with diabetes.
- Works
- Usually a permanent cure, with better results at a year than a single injection; complications under 3 in 100
- Cost
- Free in the public system (expect a wait); private costs vary
- How long
- 2–4 weeks to recover; light use the same day
- Watch for
- Infection, tenderness of the scar, stiffness. Rarely, a nerve injury.
A small operation with a big success rate.
Save your money
Popular, heavily marketed or often asked about, but the evidence is weak or says no.
- Massage or stretching to “break up” the noduleNo evidence it fixes the catching.
- Laser or therapeutic ultrasoundNo good evidence for trigger finger.
- ScansNot needed to diagnose a typical trigger finger.
- Repeated injections into the same fingerIf two haven’t worked, surgery usually beats a third.
What you can do
- Use padded gloves or thicker handles for gripping tools.
- Gently bend and straighten the finger in warm water in the morning if it’s stiff.
- Keep blood sugar well managed if you have diabetes.
- Try a night splint if the finger is catching but not locking.
See your GP if
- The finger is painful or catching often enough to bother you
- It locks and you can’t straighten it
- More than one finger is affected, or you have diabetes
- You have numbness or tingling in the fingers (it could be carpal tunnel too)
See a doctor the same day for a red, hot, swollen finger, pain when you try to straighten it, or swelling along the finger after a cut, splinter or bite. Tendon sheath infection is an emergency.
Common questions
Will trigger finger go away on its own?
Mild cases sometimes do within weeks. If it’s painful, locking or affecting your hand use, treatment works well.
How well does a steroid injection work?
About 7 in 10 people get relief, often within days. It’s less effective in people with diabetes, and triggering can return.
Is surgery a big deal?
Usually not. It’s a short procedure under local anaesthetic, you can use the hand lightly the same day, and recovery takes about 2 to 4 weeks.
Can it happen in children?
Yes, most often in the thumb of babies and toddlers. It’s managed differently, so see your GP.
Helpful resources
- Dudley Group NHS: Trigger finger and trigger thumbPlain-English leaflet on splints, injections and surgery. Free, UK.
- UK Evidence-Based Interventions: Trigger finger releaseWhen surgery is and isn’t recommended, with a patient summary. Free.
Evidence and more information
- Dudley Group NHS: Trigger finger and trigger thumb
- Academy of Medical Royal Colleges: Trigger finger release in adults
- Shen et al, Clinical Rehabilitation 2020: treatments for trigger finger, meta-analysis
maladywise.com/trigger-finger/