How To Recover Quicker After Trigger Finger Surgery (7 Tips)

August 20, 2024

Trigger Finger

Trigger Finger: What to do after surgery

Hi, it’s Satoru from hariQ acupuncture & herbs. In this blog post, I want to discuss what to do after trigger finger surgery. Many people who suffer from trigger fingers have received steroid injections, but if those don’t work, surgery may be recommended. During surgery, surgeons cut the A1 pulley area to reduce inflammation and create more space between the tendon and its sheath so that you can move your finger freely without clicking or locking up. And some of them complain of finger stiffness and lack of range of motion even months after the surgery. Here are 7 tips to help you improve stiffness and your range of motion and recover more quickly after trigger finger surgery.

We understand this can be a lot of information and overwhelming: if you are looking for more support and answers, set up a free consultation with our Trigger Finger Specialist, Satoru Ozawa. Share your story, get your questions answered, and learn how you can set yourself up for tremendous success in achieving a healthy life.

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What does the trigger finger surgery do?

The trigger finger surgery involves cutting the tendon sheath to create more space, allowing the tendon to move freely without clicking or locking up the finger. This procedure helps to alleviate the symptoms of trigger finger, such as the finger getting stuck in a bent position and then suddenly popping straight.

What is the disadvantage of the surgery?

While surgery for the trigger finger has a high success rate in terms of recovery, there are some drawbacks to consider. These include risk of joint immobilization, scar tissue development, pain, tendon stiffness, and weakened grip strength.

Joint Stiffness
Scar Tissue
Pain
Tendon Stiffness
Weakness

What to do after surgery (7 Tips)

I would like to give you 7 tips for addressing these disadvantages so you can recover after the trigger finger surgery as soon as possible.

1. Joint Mobilization

Following surgery, you will typically have a full range of motion back for 2-3 weeks, sometimes up to 6 months. During this time, you will be unable to move your joint, allowing your body to heal. There are cons to not moving your finger for an extended period. Your joint can tend to stiffen up, known as joint immobilization.

After inflammation goes down, it’s essential to loosen up the joint capsule by performing joint mobilization on your own.

There are concave and convex surfaces in the joint capsules. The convex surface moves in the concave joint, so you need to move to loosen the joint in the capsule. Start by gripping the distal side of the finger (the convex side) and stabilizing the proximal side of your finger. Then, pull the finger and push upward and downward 10 times at each joint.

If you had surgery on your ring finger, grip the finger at the 3rd joint and move it up and down 30 times. This exercise helps to loosen up the joint capsule in order to increase the range of motion.

2. Break the scar tissue

Scar tissue tends to build up around the surgery scar, sometimes causing pain and reducing the range of motion. To break down the scar tissue, you can use a type of oriental soup spoon called a “Renge.” Apply hand cream, Vaseline, or olive oil to the scar, and then gently scrape the spoon along the area.

The method I use with a spoon is similar to the techniques of “Graston” or “Gua sha” in traditional Chinese medicine. These tools are utilized to break down scar tissue and adhesions in muscles, tendons, and ligaments by scraping the affected area or skin. This helps to improve range of motion, alleviate pain, and enhance the function of the fingers.

You can also use a spoon to break down scar tissue or stagnant Qi and achieve similar results in releasing tension, reducing pain, and improving range of motion.

If the scar is straight, scrape it in a straight line. If the scar is V-shaped, scrape it in a V shape. You may also feel bumps or tightness, which is probably the scar tissue that you want to break down. Scrape it for 30 seconds.

3. Stretch

After surgery, it’s important to stretch to improve the flexibility of your tendons. There are 3 Steps of Stretching your fingers and thumb.

Step 1: Forearm Stretch

For the first part, extend your arm in front of you with your palm facing up and keep your elbow straight. Place your left hand on top of your right hand as if you’re shaking hands, and gently pull your hand towards you until you feel a stretch in your forearm. Hold this position for 30 seconds before releasing slowly. You can repeat this 3-5 times.

Step 2: Palm Stretch

The next stretch is similar to the first one, but instead of straightening your elbow, you should bend it and hold your fingers instead of your palm. Push down, and you will feel the stretch in your palm instead of your forearm. Hold for 30 seconds and then slowly release. You can repeat this exercise for 3-5 sets.

Step 3: Thumb Stretch

This exercise focuses on the Flexor pollicis longus and other intrinsic hand muscles to enhance flexibility. To do this exercise, place your right hand in front of you with your palm facing down. Next, grasp your thumb and gently pull it towards you until you feel a stretch. Maintain this position for 30 seconds.

4. Massage

Massaging is another essential tool for Trigger Fingers post-op because it increases blood flow, softens tissue, and loosens muscle and tendons by increasing the human body’s healing ability. Massage not only helps to recover quicker but also prevents recurrent trigger fingers.

Step 1: Pinch Forearm

Now, you’re going to pinch your skin. Most of the people who get trigger fingers have either tight muscles or so is their skin. When you pinch the skin, visualize you’re pulling the skin out of the muscle. We will start from the elbow crease, pinch the skin, hold for a few seconds, and release. Then, you can move down to the next part. You can continue to do this pinching until the wrist crease. You can repeat 3 more times.

Step 2: Massage Forearm

During this massage, you apply pressure to the muscle tissue in a crosswise direction, which helps to stimulate both the muscle and the fascia (the skin surrounding the muscle). This can result in the softening of the tissue.

Now, I want you to imagine there are 3 lines on your forearm. To locate the three lines on your forearm, start from the elbow crease and move toward the wrist crease. The line closest to the center is line 1, followed by line 2 in the middle and line 3 on the outside. Then, depending on the length of your forearm, you can divide them into approximately 5 to 6 sections. Place your thumb on the line to massage these lines and rub them vertically 5-10 times before moving on to the next one. Make sure to apply enough pressure, but not too much, to avoid pain. If you experience discomfort, you may be pressing too hard.

Step 3: Palm Massage

The next one is massaging on your palm. Like your forearm massage, you make 5 lines from the wrist crease to the base of the fingers. Rub horizontally 5-10 times and move on to the next section. Be careful when you rub at the base of the finger. Most of the time, when you have trigger fingers, it depends on which finger you have; the base of the affected fingers is very sensitive. So, if you feel the massage is too painful, you can skip the area. You can do it 3-5 sets.

Step 4: Knuckle Massage

In order to improve the flexibility of your fingers, it is important to massage your knuckles. To do this, turn your hand palm down and massage the up-down movement between each knuckle using your thumb. Repeat this for 10 seconds on each knuckle and do 3-5 sets.

5. Strengthen

Start with isometric exercise, which is no resistance & no movement. Performing this exercise can improve your extensor muscles’ strength and stretch your flexor tendons. This can aid in breaking down adhesions at the base of your trigger finger.

Next, to relieve the tightness in these muscles, activating the extensor muscles on the dorsal side of your hand is essential. Remember that your hand’s palmer and dorsal sides have an agonist-antagonist relationship.

6. Heat Therapy

Heat is one of the most important tools for softening the tissue and increasing blood circulation around the surgical area. To achieve this, you can use a hand warmer or hot bath. Personally, I prefer the portable hand warmer, which can last up to 10 hours and provide continuous warmth to the area.

A hot bath is a simple and cost-effective method to relieve the trigger finger. Immersing your hand in warm water for 20 minutes daily can help relax the tendons and reduce inflammation, resulting in a smoother joint.

Prepare a bucket with 100 °F of hot water.
If you have Epsom salt, put it in there.
Soak your affected hand for 20 minutes.
Make a fist and release it in the bucket repeatedly

7. Diet / supplements

Lastly, your food and nutrients accelerate and soften the tissue, loosen muscle tightness, and reduce joint inflammation.

Anti-oxidants Diet

Incorporating the following nutrient-rich foods into your diet, which are high in antioxidants, can potentially aid in reducing inflammation and easing the symptoms of trigger fingers:

Berries like blueberries, strawberries, and goji berries
Dark leafy greens such as spinach
Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons
Colorful vegetables including red bell peppers
Herbs and spices like parsley and turmeric
Nuts such as walnuts and pistachios
Fatty fish like salmon

Vitamin B6

The effectiveness of supplementing with Vitamin B6 for trigger fingers is a topic of debate among healthcare providers. It is sometimes suggested due to its potential to alleviate trigger finger symptoms. The exact mechanism of how B6 works for this condition is not completely understood. One possible explanation is that it acts as an analgesic, raising the pain threshold in individuals with trigger fingers.

salmon
pork
poultry (chicken and turkey)
bananas
soybeans
spinach
potatoes

Magnesium Glycinates

There are mainly 8 different kinds of magnesium: oxidate, malate, citrate, sulfate, gluconate, hydroxide, taurate, and glycinate. Each magnesium has slightly different functions for the human body; for example, magnesium oxidate and citrate help more bowel movement and indigestion. But, glycinate help more for muscle tensions and inflammation.

The benefits of magnesium require further research, but one study found that magnesium supplementation significantly reduced levels of plasma fibrinogen, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type 5, tumor necrosis factor-ligand superfamily member 13B, ST2 protein, and IL-1. They concluded that taking magnesium supplement may lead to a significant reduction in various human inflammatory markers, especially serum CRP and NO (Nitric Oxide) levels. CRP is a protein produced by the liver and released into the bloodstream in response to inflammation.

Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8838086/

Important Note

Performing these 7 tips regularly can help speed up your healing process after trigger finger surgery. However, if you’re still experiencing difficulties with your finger or want to prevent recurrent trigger fingers, you might want to consider alternative treatments such as acupuncture to help improve finger mobility.

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We'll be happy to answer your questions.

Is Acupuncture Effective for Trigger Finger?

Absolutely! Acupuncture is highly effective for treating trigger fingers. During your initial acupuncture session, we assessed the tightness in your finger and muscles. You may have difficulty bending or leaning due to pain. The treatments are aimed at reducing inflammation and swelling, as well as restoring movement in the finger. Numerous studies have demonstrated that acupuncture is exceptionally useful in reducing pain and inflammation by prompting the body to release its natural painkillers. As a result, you should begin to feel relief from the pain after each session.

When Should I start Acupuncture?

It’s important to seek treatment for trigger finger as soon as possible for the best prognosis. Patients who wait months or even years after the onset of symptoms may have more complex cases that take longer to treat, with no guarantee of full recovery.

How Often Should I Schedule Acupuncture Sessions?

When it comes to the frequency of treatments, Acupuncture follows a simple rule: acute and relatively new conditions are most effectively treated with more frequent visits, while chronic and old conditions can benefit from less frequent treatments. For example, if you have recently developed trigger finger, you will probably be prescribed 2-3 treatments per week to achieve the most effective results, whereas chronic cases generally require only one treatment per week.

If you or a loved one was diagnosed with trigger finger pain and want to learn more about acupuncture and whether it’s appropriate for your case, send us a message through our contact page. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post! I appreciate your interest and hope to see you again for future posts.

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