Looking For Anyone Who Has Suffered From Trigger Finger &/Or Had Surgery For Same

CosmicArkie

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Any of you other graybeards enjoy the pleasure of trigger finger (fretting hand)?

Anyone had hand surgery on the fretting hand?

Thx.
 

Stuball48

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Any of you other graybeards enjoy the pleasure of trigger finger (fretting hand)?

Anyone had hand surgery on the fretting hand?

Thx.
Jim:
My guitar teacher had some surgery on his fretting wrist and missed about 18 days of teaching.
May not be anything like your concern but will, gladly, find out. I know he would be happy to talk with you.
 

CosmicArkie

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Not quite the same thing.

I've had this issue for a little over a year; had two injections; and am being told I can probably have a couple more before having to "see a hand guy" for surgery. As things now stand, I'm functional except for playing guitar, and could probably get along fine without surgery.

I hate needles, knives and doctors. I'm wondering if I need to find another hobby.
 

gjmalcyon

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Had that issue with my right thumb - made it difficult to hold a pick. Two corticosteroid injections about 5 weeks apart - the second was much more effective than the first. Used a topical NSAID for a couple of weeks (dicloflenac sodium topical gel - 1%) at night with cotton gloves to keep me from smearing it around and I am much improved. I too am trying to avoid surgery.
 

dreadnut

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Yeah, what Stuball said.

I can't help, my carpal tunnel & trigger finger surgeries were on my pickin' hand.

Having said that, the trigger finger (middle finger) on my right hand isn't quite as nimble as it was, I can't use a fingerpick on it like I used to. I can pick freehand , but not with a pick.
 
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stellerscrub

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Wondering if you have an update. I'm in the same boat as you were a couple of years ago; been playing for more than 50 of my 67 years, now having serious trigger finger in my fretting middle finger, getting a consult and likely an injection next week. Like you, I'm not too fond of surgery, but I don't want to give up guitar.
 

gjmalcyon

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I just had (two weeks ago) corticosteroid injections at the bases of my left pinky, left ring finger (fretting hand) and right ring finger for treatment of trigger finger. Administered by my rheumatologist. He told me to expect gradual improvement over the next couple of weeks, and I am pleased with the improvement. I go back in three weeks to have two more done. We went directly to the steroid injection, More conservative courses of treatment might start with exercises and splints.

PS - feel free to PM me if you want to discuss off-list.
 
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gjmalcyon

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Wanted to update this thread with my results: Had one more finger injected this week, and that should be it. Did not totally resolve symptoms, but fingers work MUCH better than before, and once "warmed up" are fine. If you have trigger finger, and it's getting worse, and are considering the injected corticosteroid course of treatment, don't wait: Once the symptoms are sufficiently severe enough, your only option will be surgery.
 

adorshki

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Wanted to update this thread with my results: Had one more finger injected this week, and that should be it. Did not totally resolve symptoms, but fingers work MUCH better than before, and once "warmed up" are fine. If you have trigger finger, and it's getting worse, and are considering the injected corticosteroid course of treatment, don't wait: Once the symptoms are sufficiently severe enough, your only option will be surgery.
Not that I've got the problem but thank you for the PSA. Might just be in time to do somebody some good.
 

chazmo

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I have trigger finger on my right index finger and occasionally on my right middle finger. It only seems to affect me overnight and is pretty much gone during the day. My doctor has suggested surgery, but since it doesn't hurt at all and doesn't have any real impact on my life, I have negated that option (for now).

Good thoughts on the progression of symptoms, gj. I may have to see where this is going.
 

gjmalcyon

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I have trigger finger on my right index finger and occasionally on my right middle finger. It only seems to affect me overnight and is pretty much gone during the day. My doctor has suggested surgery, but since it doesn't hurt at all and doesn't have any real impact on my life, I have negated that option (for now).

Good thoughts on the progression of symptoms, gj. I may have to see where this is going.

Mine weren't painful either, just bothersome. What I noticed was it was taking longer and longer for them to loosen up after I woke up.

I'm working on mine with my rheumatologist, who I see regularly thanks to my rampant osteoarthritis. He's also injected my thumbs for arthritis, and that worked out well, too. I'd look for someone like that or a hand specialist - an orthopedist is going to want to cut first, ask questions later. As you research this, you'll find that surgery is generally the last resort once more conservative treatments (including corticosteroid injections) fail.

Here's some info from the Mayo Clinic.
 
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F312

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Had that issue with my right thumb - made it difficult to hold a pick. Two corticosteroid injections about 5 weeks apart - the second was much more effective than the first. Used a topical NSAID for a couple of weeks (dicloflenac sodium topical gel - 1%) at night with cotton gloves to keep me from smearing it around and I am much improved. I too am trying to avoid surgery.

That sounds like some bad sheit.

Ralph
 

ezstrummer

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I had a botched carpal tunnel on my left hand. No feeling in my fingers, 8 months later went to another surgeon and he was able to fix me up. All good now, wouldn't even know.
 

dreadnut

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My carpal tunnel/trigger finger stemmed from nerve damage during my heart surgery. When I woke up from the surgery, my right hand literally felt like it was in a fire. I was begging for more Dilaudid, and they were focused on my surgical site pain, but that wasn't nearly as painful as my right hand!

Ultimately, I had Carpal Tunnel surgery on the thumb and forefinger, and a separate surgery later on the middle finger. The pain and stiffness subsided with time and therapy.

The middle finger is still slower and unable to perform properly with fingerpicks, so I had to give up the fingerpicks and go with bare-finger picking. I confirmed this again yesterday when I got out my old fingerpicks and tried them; big time fail.

But it's ok, because now I have callouses on my thumb and first two fingers, I've grown my nails out on my right hand, and I can strum with the backs of my fingernails. With fingerpicks, you can't go that direction.

I also tried using just a thumb pick, but that causes a big volume difference in the bass strings vs. the higher strings, and I don't care for the imbalance. If I need volume, I amplify.

So all is good, but it took some time.
 

CosmicArkie

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Wondering if you have an update. I'm in the same boat as you were a couple of years ago; been playing for more than 50 of my 67 years, now having serious trigger finger in my fretting middle finger, getting a consult and likely an injection next week. Like you, I'm not too fond of surgery, but I don't want to give up guitar.

SS,
To bring the discussion full circle, if you were inquiring as to my outcome, I discovered a "cure".

Now, I believe that my problem was as a result of a repeated/extended period of death-grip use of a power drill screwdriver while building a cabinet - at least immediately after that was when I originally developed the problem. I could feel a knot on the tendon at the base of the middle finger in my palm.
I was told that the surgery would effectively scrape the knot off the tendon so that the tendon would then slide smoothly through the sheath.
I was recommended Aspercreme (with lidocaine) as a topical relief; and it REALLY did work when applied to the back of my hand.
So, putting the two together, I applied the cream, and over the course of several weeks, ground and kneaded the living heck out of the palm of my left hand at the site of the knot while the lidocaine was taking care of the discomfort.
And now I have full mobility, grip strength and use of the finger. Other than being a little less flexible along with everything else on my aged body, I don't have any issues with it.
 

dreadnut

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Good for you; a non-invasive approach is usually best at our age.
 
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Not that I've got the problem but thank you for the PSA. Might just be in time to do somebody some good.
I developed a mid finger trigger finger on my left hand about four years ago. Had one injection about 4 to 5 weeks after it happened and it went away. March of 2018, I'm coming home in my car and some knucklehead hits me in the rear end which of course made me grip the steering wheel like I was going to rip it out. So that finger started acting up again about 3 weeks after that incident which I won't call an accident cuz it should have never happened. It got so bad that I would drift off to sleep and wake up and it would be pointing down and hurting so bad. I had it operated on and now after 2 years I can use it to play some. I believe I went two years without picking up a guitar because of the damn finger in hand.about 2 months after I had that first surgery I started waking up in my midfinger on the right hand started triggering. also my left thumb and my left index finger next to the surgical site started triggering and acting up and I'm like I can't take this crap any longer. Injections barely help and are not helping the one on the right hand at all. Nothing is helping the one that was operated on as the tendon wants to try to pull the finger down with the scar tissue . So this is what I decided, I'm not going to have the right hand operated on at all! I can hold a pic with it. At night I've been wrapping it with coban, that material that sticks to itself. So I bought a bunch from Amazon and tell the doctor two or three weeks ago that I'll be wrapping this finger tell they cremate I'm not going to go through another 2 years of hell trying to even makeI'm not going to go through another 2 years of hell trying to even make a fist, so coban is your friend at night if you wrap it right you can still have flexibility in that trigger finger but you can't override the joint unless you try really hard so your finger doesn't get totally whacked out in the middle of the night. That's about all I got right now. I used my hands for decades training in Karate and still squeeze my hands as tight as I can, and that trigger finger surgery has kept the finger from tucking in real good. Really pisses me off. I believe I still have some punches in me.☮️ 😄
 

Tom O

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I used exercises and stretches from carpaltunelinstitude.org. I bought their DVD. They had a money back guarantee so it was worth the try. Also used Diclofenac Sodium topical gel.
try bending fingers keeping the first joint straight. This worked for me in my 70's.
 
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I used exercises and stretches from carpaltunelinstitude.org. I bought their DVD. They had a money back guarantee so it was worth the try. Also used Diclofenac Sodium topical gel.
try bending fingers keeping the first joint straight. This worked for me in my 70's.

I'm 73 and I have always stretched my fingers, etc. The finger that had surgery won't crack anymore and is being pulled down due to scar tissue around the tendon. That med is in a compounded Rx that has 4 other meds such as lidocaine. I can't go mixing them as they are absorbed and levels of them will show up in blood draw. They can become toxic. 2 years out with surgery and many injections, etc. It's never going to be the same but at least it's useable to a point. My hands and rest of me have been through many things most don't partake in. I'll check that information out. Thanks
 
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