Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Trigger finger. Chances of recovery without surgery?

Middle finger on my right hand. It started bothering me a month or so ago. Gotten bad enough that I have to manually straighten it with my left hand. It’s worst in the morning it seems but bad all day.
Printed rehab remedies are stretching for the most part. I’ve been doing, or should I say trying to do them without a whole lot of relief so far.
Has anyone had success with the non-surgical remedy or is surgery about the only sure means to fix it?

97 year old mother just got a shot for hers. While not 100%, it is definitely much better. Would consider that before any surgery.

Smashed my trigger finger in the military (actually whole hand) most days can't feel the finger. I just learned to shoot lefty. Got over the eye dominant thing and on those cold mornings I try to keep my right hand warm but....

I had all 3 on my right hand done about 20 years ago and it worked just fine but now have a dupetrene contraction on palm that i thought was a tendon sticking out in my palm. It doesnt hurt but just looks funny. My only problem is sometimes in tight spots ,like doing mechanic work my ring finger doesnt close up like trying to grab something. But all in all its better than not being able to open or move your fingers. Good luck with it and except for the cuts and stitchs it was immediately fixed along with carpel tunnel they did at same time.

I suffered with the Samy finger fo at least 25 years. Surgery at VA hospital took all of fifteen minutes and pain was nothing to mention. Full recovery took around two months. I am so glad I did it.

I’ve had five of them, three on the right hamd and two on the left. The first thing they will probably try is a steroid injection into the “pulley” that’s causing it. It smarts 😳. They may do up to three, spaced apart. If the injections work, they won’t go to surgery.

If there’s no improvement they then might try surgical release. It’s a very simple OP surgery with practically no recovery.

I also have Dupuytrens to some extent on both hands but that’s a completely different issue.

Once in a while shooting sporting clays with buds and realize my score is fugged I'll switch from index finger on the trigger to using my stink finger.

Go see a hand doc. Had same problem, both hands, ring fingers. . He can cut the imflammed sheath enclosing the tendon- damned near instant relief. a couple days recovery. Had it done on one to try it. Worked. Scared the other one into submission. Mostly. (Time given may also work).

Neither has locked up closed in many months - surgey one (left hand, I'm right handed) absolutely no problem, right one gets sore and stiff sometimes when doing a lot of clenching stuff.

get several opini0ons.

Laser therapy and chiropractic can help too: https://www.erchonia.com/blog-news/laser-therapy-and-chiropractic-care-how-they-work-together/

My left index finger is so afflicted. At its worst in early morning it takes a conscious effort to pop into action. Fair painful but still workable. My orthopedic doc allowed as how he could “snip” a tendon and remedy the lock. I allowed as how I might just deal with it. A snipped tendon seems easier to do than undo.

Had it done. They do not snip the tendon just the pully it goes through. Had it done and recovery was a piece of cake.

I had in both thumbs 21 yrs ago. 2 shots of cortisone in each. Left is still good. Came back in my right 6 yrs ago and had to have surgery. Simple surgery. No pain to speak of and quick recovery. Both are fine now. Good luck

Had it for years, was about bad enough to see a doctor and something
happened. It started working good!

No idea why.

I'll take it though!

I've had two on my left hand and three fingers plus the thumb on my right hand. All but one were a piece of cake. The nasty one was the thumb. They kept pumping in shot after shot of lidocaine and it never numbed the pain one bit. I finally told the doc to just do it and get it over with. Same doc did every one. Doc called them trigger locks rather than trigger finger FWIW.
PJ

One downside- - - -you won't have the grip strength you once had when that "pulley" is missing. My father had the surgery done several years before he passed away, and complained that he couldn't grab a wrench as well as he once did. He was still doing minor mechanic work three months before he died at age 90- - - -just had to use longer handled wrenches!

I think we may be discussing several different things. Mine was an enflamed or swollen tendon sheath, that was restricting the operation of the tendon itself. slicing the sheath relieved that, with no loss of grip strength in that hand. OWith the right hand, not surgically done, I no longer have the same grip strength, and as said, that's my working hand and it gets stiff and sore with extended use. such as using a sander.

Nothing wrong to go seek out a mechanical fix ( surgery).

I’m glad to hear that the surgical option is not a tough thing to go through.
Doc wants to do the shots for “a while”.
Normally when discussing treatment options, doctors have given opinions that have pretty well defined time tables. This feels like he’s just looking to get as much income treating me as he can.
I’m a “lets not dick around with treatments that might work or might not” If surgery is the most likely to give me relief on a permanent basis, after carefully examining the options I will opt for it.
It’s strange how quickly this happened and got so bad.
Thanks for your feedback. It’s appreciated.

I had one that came on quick and went away on its own. Probably 15 years ago.

Realize you asked about non-surgical....... however I had a release done years ago, index finger, left hand self induced.
It got to the point things were wadded up in the palm.
Full and I mean 100% recovery, including the nerve I cut.

I wouldn't hesitate if it happened again. Just my personal experience