Are you having trouble with hand pain or other issues? Don’t fret, you’re not alone! We all use our hands quite often, and unfortunately, it leads to hand issues for many of us. Luckily, with treatment from a highly-skilled hand therapist at Peak Performance, you can be back to a full range-of-motion and feel better than before. There are many different possible reasons why you might experience hand pain. It’s vital to understand your symptoms so you can understand how our therapists can help you.

Symptoms of Trigger Finger

Unlike arthritis or wrist pain, trigger finger is a very specific ailment. When you’re suffering from trigger finger, pain is typically felt in the knuckles when the finger is both bent and straightened. This pain may also accompany an odd clicking sound. It is also common to experience tenderness at the bottom of the finger and thumb for this injury.

Trigger finger results from frequent irritation by the repetitive sliding of tendons at the base of your finger or thumb. The tendon in this area swells and thickens, creating a nodule that causes pain and clicks when you move it. Injuries and pre-existing conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, partial tendon lacerations, repeated trauma from pistol-gripped power tools can also cause triggering.

Treating Trigger Finger 

Peak Performance offers physical therapy and occupational therapy programs for treating trigger symptoms. Our non-surgical rehabilitation program is most effective if you have only experienced the symptoms up to four months. If you have had the problem for longer, treatment from your hand therapist will provide relief but only for the short term. 

At your first appointment, we’ll conduct a full review of your movement and history to determine if you’re suffering from trigger finger or another ailment. Your hand therapist’s mission is to relieve pain while improving your hands’ mobility. Like with any exercise, these may cause soreness but it doesn’t last long. 

Rehabilitation from your hand therapist usually includes:

• Building a splint for the inflamed area.
• Special exercises to promote normal tendon movement.
• Iontophoresis, a mild electrical current that pushes anti-inflammatory medicine into the nodule.
• Cortisone injection to reduce inflammation and swelling of the tendon.
• Demonstrating activities to reduce movement, allowing the nodule to reduce its size.

Treatment After Surgery 

If you’ve felt the symptoms for longer than four months, we recommended a surgical consultation. Once you recover from surgery and your stitches have healed, you can begin post-surgical rehabilitation with us. Therapy begins with gentle range-of-motion exercises. Then we apply heat treatments, soft-tissue massage, and hands-on stretching. Recovery focuses on strengthening and stabilizing the muscles and joints in the hand while also improving fine motor control and dexterity.

Be Trigger Finger Free

We use our hands far too often for them to hurt in day-to-day life. Our Brusly, Perkins, and Denham Springs locations have a hand therapist ready to treat you back to peak health. If you’ve experienced these symptoms for less than four months, contact us to schedule a consultation. We look forward to getting started on this healing journey with you!