Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about Trigger Finger.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash trigger finger

or in the orthopedic section of the zero-definals surgery book.

So let's get straight into it.

Trigger finger is a condition that causes pain and difficulty moving the affected finger.

It's also known as stenosing tinoinitis.

Let's start with the pathophysiology.

The flexor tendons of the fingers pass through several tunnels called sheaths along the length

of the fingers.

In trigger finger, there is a thickening of the tendon or a tightening of the sheath.

This prevents the tendon from smoothly moving through the sheath when the finger is flexed

and extended, and this results in pain, stiffness or a catching symptom.

The most commonly affected part of the sheath is the first annular pulley called A1, which is at the metacarpophalangeal

joint or the MCP joint. There may be a nodule on the tendon. When the finger is flexed, the nodule is

outside the A1 pulley. As the finger is extended from a flex position, the tendon nodule can get stuck at the entrance to the A1 pulley. As the finger is extended from a flex position, the tendon nodule can get stuck at the

entrance to the A1 pulley. This causes the finger to lock or get stuck in the bent position. It may

suddenly release with a painful pop or a click as the nodule goes through the pulley. Let's talk about risk factors. Patients more

likely to be affected by Trigger Finger are in their 40s and 50s, women are affected more often

than men, and it can affect people with diabetes particularly, more with type 1 diabetes but also

with type 2. Let's move on to the presentation.

The typical presentation is with a troublesome finger that is painful and tender, usually

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