It seems I may have trigger finger on two of my fingers (right thumb and left middle finger). It is pretty annoying and sometimes a bit painful.
My doc shared with me a resource that described the condition (the bolding is mine):
When one of your fingers gets stuck in the bent position, it is called a trigger finger. Usually a trigger finger will then straighten out on its own. Trigger fingers seem to occur more in people who have diabetes or arthritis or who have injured their hands in the past. Trigger finger also occurs in musicians and people who grip tools repeatedly. While a trigger finger can be painful, it normally is not a serious problem.
I’ve currently got trigger thumb problems. I had a cortisone shot back in the fall (which did nasty things to my BGs). It gave some relief for a few months, but the triggering has started again. It locks up at night and gradually loosens over the day. I think I’ll try surgery next.
I know this may be whacked, but has anyone tried ultrasound massage? A few years ago, I was really considering a home unit for my carpal tunnel and they were so expensive. My physical therapist used them and it really loosened up the soft tissues. They are available quite reasonably now, there are a number on amazon. I wonder if those might bring some relief to trigger finger?
About 20 years ago I had a middle finger the was a trigger finger I went to a specialist and he gave me a shot and it fixed it. Renee, because D affects our circulation sometimes it is hard to get that drop of blood so what I do is to wrap a rubber band around the finger and it will get that drop you need.
I had a trigger finger about 6 years ago as part of what seemed like a general inflammatory attack about a year before I was diagnosed with T1. After about 6 or 8 months of too much Motrin everything subsided including the trigger finger.
Maurie
PS - I’ve always wondered if all that inflamation was a signal of the autoimmune storm…
I have had surgery on 4 so far. When the first one started back in 2003, the orthopedic surgeon tried cortisone & that did not work. The 2nd one started before I had the surgery on the first one and he did not want to try cortisone but I wanted to try – that did not work either. The surgeon told me that because of my complexion, I would probably end up with trigger finger in all 10 fingers. In 2006, one of my thumbs got it. When that happened, I was doing HBO for my foot wound so didn’t really have time to get that fixed. That one the pain actually went away but it will still pop every once in awhile. In 2008, I had 2 more go – I had surgeries on both of those. The surgeon that did those didn’t recommend using cortisone – which I was glad since the only thing it did was raise my BS. I have had 5 so far – hopefully that is all.
The surgery is really easy. The hardest part is keeping the stitches dry for a week or so till they come out. I was given pain pills for the first & fourth surgeries and did use the pain pills for any of the surgeries. My fingers are back to normal and you can’t tell anything was wrong. When I had the last one, they had a monitor there & asked if I wanted to watch – I made the mistake of saying yes.
I had trigger thumb pre-D, maybe 15 years ago? I had the cortisone shot (VERY painful BTW) and it cleared it up. Hasn’t recurred. I was working full-time as a sign language interepreter so my fingers got quite a workout.
Okay, I may be the only one here but when I had trigger thumb(s) I had one operated on, and then learned from a friend that a good chiropractor could also release them. So, rather than go the invasive route I had the other thumb, along with carpal tunnel, all released by a chiropractor. It really works people. And it doesn’t take many visits before seeing results. I currently go in for a visit whenever my hands start to tingle (maybe 2x a year) and there’s no recovery time.
I had a tf a few years ago. It was mostly just annoying but then one night it STUCK and I could not unbend it and panicked.
Do you have a little nodule on your palm beneath the affected finger? That’s where the tendon gets stuck.
I had a cortisone shot but it did not help. Then about six months later I realized it was gone. But I still have the bump on my palm. The doc said it’s also common in people who are hypothyroid.
When I went for a followup visit, the doc’s physician assistant saw me. I reminded him that I had Type 1 and he said “I do too”. Then I immediately said “but you don’t look diabetic”. LOL.
Kathy, those little bumps could be Dupuytren’s Contracture. Mine started as a little dimple. I thought that the doctor that told me I had that was nuts but it turned out he was right. After it progresses, it can curve your fingers – my ring finger is curved and that is the most common one to curve. Here is a pic of my bumps:
Cold laser therapy & acupuncture are very effective for inflammatory conditions & both bring amazing pain relief. That’s what I’d try before surgery & steroid shots.
Yikes Manny, get well soon! I switched mousing from right to left a few years ago and that helped w/ some carpal issues I’f jsf but, since you got both hands, I dunno if that would help.
Hey Kel - yes the doctor did discuss Dupuytren’s Contracture. He also said it was more common with people of northern European and Scandinavian descent , and that’s why Minnesota nursing homes are filled with people with curled hands.
I’ve had 7 trigger finger releases done including the scraping of one wrist and I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t live with it the way it was before each operation. 18 months of pain was too much and nothing much helped other than cortisone injections which only gave me an extra 2-3 months.
I’m pain-free not long after every operation and these days we don’t bother with other treatments that only, at best, delay the inevitable for me. My specialist can’t tell me if the condition is from diabetes or lupus (both causes are likely).
It gets to the point where my fingers get stuck and I need my hands to work properly. Certainly try all available non-invasive treatments. You may find that one of them works for you.
I did this as well and my mouse is still on the left. I also undertook an exercise program. Not one of those squeezing tomato programs. I program aimed at getting my hands seriously strong. Picking up heavy things strong. One easy way to do this is with grippers. Once you can close the on the highest setting people will run away before shaking your hand.
But seriously, increasing the strength of your muscles and tendons will tend to maintain proper alignment and operation in your hands and wrists. And strong people are more generally useful.
