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Quennell Hand & Wrist 01632 960 718 Book
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Where it is: Palm, below a finger

Trigger finger

Also called: stenosing tenosynovitis

The tendons that bend your fingers glide through tunnels in the palm. If a tendon thickens, it snags at the mouth of its tunnel, and the finger catches, clicks or locks.

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A drawing of a left hand and wrist, palm up, with the bones and joints shown faintly beneath the skin, and a small detail drawing of the elbow. A violet surgical marker dot sits on the base of the thumb.
Plate 1 Palm, below a finger

What it feels like

  • A click or catch as the finger bends
  • A finger stuck bent in the morning that you straighten with the other hand
  • A tender lump in the palm below the finger

What we look for

We find the catching point with your hand flat on the desk and check every other finger while we are there.

What usually helps

  1. A small splint at night for a mild catch
  2. An injection in clinic, which settles many fingers for good
  3. A ten-minute release in our theatre, home the same morning

A typical recovery

  1. Day 1Moving the finger straight away
  2. Week 2Stitches out
  3. Week 4Full use for most people

Illustrative timeline, not a promise: every hand heals at its own pace.