Trigger finger treatment in Edmonton

Trigger finger treatment at our southeast Edmonton clinic begins with working out the stage: whether it catches, clicks or locks, and whether you can unlock it yourself. Assessment also screens for diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid conditions, which it commonly accompanies.

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What is trigger finger?

The tendons that bend your fingers run through a series of tunnels, or pulleys, along the palm side of each finger. If the tendon or its sheath thickens where it enters the first pulley at the base of the finger, it no longer glides smoothly — it catches, then releases with a click or a snap. In its early stages it is a painful catch; later the finger can lock bent and need the other hand to straighten it.

Trigger Finger Assessment And Treatment At Vertex Physiotherapy

What brings it on

Often nothing dramatic. Repetitive gripping, prolonged use of tools with a hard handle, or a sustained period of heavy hand work can start it, but plenty of cases appear without any obvious trigger.

It is more common in people with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or thyroid conditions, and in those groups it tends to be more stubborn and more likely to affect multiple fingers. It is also common in the ring finger and thumb. Symptoms are often worst first thing in the morning and ease as the hand warms up.

How it is assessed

The diagnosis is usually straightforward; the useful part is working out the stage.

  • Whether it catches, clicks, or locks — and whether you can unlock it yourself
  • A tender, sometimes palpable nodule at the base of the finger on the palm side
  • How much active bending and straightening you have, compared with the other hand
  • What you do with your hands at work and in sport
  • Screening for the conditions it commonly accompanies

What treatment usually involves

Early on: reducing the gripping that provokes it, and often a small splint that holds the affected finger straight overnight so the tendon is not sitting flexed and catching for hours. Many early cases settle with that and time.

Alongside that, gentle tendon gliding exercises to keep the tendon moving through the pulley, and hands-on work to the palm and forearm. Grip tools and handles are worth looking at if work is a factor.

Corticosteroid injection is a common and often effective next step through your physician, particularly for a finger that is catching rather than locking. Surgery to release the pulley is reliable for cases that keep locking or that have not responded, and hand therapy afterwards restores the glide and range.

Questions people ask

Often in the early stages, particularly with splinting and activity change. A finger that is locking regularly, or one that has been doing this for a long time, is less likely to resolve without an injection or a release — and it is better to know that early than to spend months on it.

No. Complete rest stiffens the finger and does not address the pulley. What changes is the specific gripping that provokes catching, and the hours it spends held bent.

The finger has been resting flexed and the tendon has been sitting against the pulley for hours. That is why an overnight splint holding it straight often makes the biggest single difference.

Recurrence in the same finger after a proper release is uncommon. Developing it in a different finger is more likely, particularly if you have diabetes or an inflammatory arthritis.

Mild cases often improve with a night splint that keeps the finger straight, activity changes and tendon-gliding exercises. If the finger is locking regularly, a steroid injection from your physician has a high success rate. Physiotherapy is useful before and after either route.

Repetitive gripping is a more common trigger than typing, and it is also more frequent in people with diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. The assessment asks about both so the right advice is given.

It can, particularly if the aggravating activity continues. Changing grip patterns and tool handles reduces the chance. If it recurs after two injections, surgical release is usually discussed.

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Vertex Physiotherapy is at 6958 76 Ave NW #205, Edmonton, AB T6B 2R2. Call (825) 525-2852 or book online.

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Written by Vertex Physiotherapy · Reviewed by Bipin Pokhrel, Provisional Physiotherapist · Last updated September 2026