For people who suffer from trigger finger, also known as stenosing tenosynovitis, a trigger finger injection is a fairly inexpensive and helpful treatment. This is a treatment that involves receiving a cortisone injection in or near the tendon shaft of the affected finger or thumb in order to release the tendon and unlock the finger. A cortisone injection is seen as a moderate treatment for trigger finger; resting the finger is the most simplistic treatment, and surgery is the most extreme. Overall, trigger finger injections are helpful in the short term, but sufferers might require more injections if pain continues, and some medical officials do not regard injections as long-term solutions. Cortisone injections are also not advisable for people who suffer from diabetes or arthritis, and injections could do more harm than help in people who suffer from these conditions as well as trigger finger.
Trigger finger is a condition in which the tendon in a sufferer's finger or thumb is unable to glide freely. As a result, the finger or thumb gets "stuck" and locks, causing intense pain. The condition deals primarily with the tendon, so treatments for trigger finger aim to provide the tendon with the ability to glide freely. A trigger finger injection is the most commonly used treatment for the condition, and it typically alleviates symptoms in more than half of all patients who receive it.
The efficacy of a trigger finger injection depends mainly on the severity of the condition and any other health problems that the sufferer might be experiencing. This injection is most helpful to sufferers who have moderate trigger finger symptoms. For sufferers who are diagnosed with only slight trigger finger, an injection is not necessary, and treatments such as splinting, finger exercises, rest of the finger for four to six weeks, massage and soaking the finger in warm water will be more helpful.
Trigger finger injections are the most commonly used treatment for moderate cases of trigger finger, but studies have shown that the treatment is not helpful for people who also suffer from diabetes mellitus or rheumatoid arthritis. Patients who also have diabetes or arthritis have a far better chance of recovering from their trigger finger symptoms if they get surgical treatment. A trigger finger injection is also rarely helpful after the first shot because the potency decreases with each additional cortisone injection. If a sufferer is still experiencing pain after the first injection, he or she should look into surgical treatment.