Trigger Finger - One Person's Experience

Speaking as someone who suffers from the condition known as Trigger Finger, I can attest to the extreme discomfort which I have experienced.

My particular case began a few years ago when I awoke one day to find my third finger of my right hand had sort of locked! It was a most unusual feeling. Not painful, just weird.

I shrugged it off as I tensed the finger to straighten, which it did with a disquieting clunking feeling. The finger lock didn't re-occur straight away. It was erratic, some days I would wake up to find no discomfort, no locking. Other days I would find the condition had become more severe, making it difficut to straighten my finger.

Ok, enough is enough I thought, time to consult a doctor.

Turned out this wasn't uncommon at all. My doctor knew immediately what was afflicting me. Trigger Finger, he called it, which seemed a fitting description I suppose. The cure however, was going to be more problematic.

My doctor suggested a steroid injection. Now I am not the type of person who takes kindly to the idea of steroids being injected into the palm of my hand. I still had memories of a very painful, no wait, excruciatingly painful experience when my knee was treated for swelling. On that occasion I remember going to a hospital outpatients and being in a room with older persons who were sympathizing with what they saw me as having a degenerative arthritic condition, of the type they were suffering with. Hands stuck in permanent claw like positions - but I reassured myself that wasn't going to happen to me.

I endured the tests and the injections, and after a few weeks was given the only advice 20th century medicine could come up with - "place a packet of cold peas on it". So there was a certain feeling of deja vu when the Doctor starting telling me that the cause of Trigger Finger is unknown but an injection should do the trick.

But what choice did I have? Well, I took option b and decided on the non interference choice, and you know the problem seemed to become less as time went by. It seemed the time of year had something to do with it. Spring and winter not so good, summer - better. A theory which seemed to be borne out by time, when in the following year, my trigger finger condition returned with a vengeance.

This time it was way more difficult to cope with. This time I had the injection. Surprisingly, it seemed to work. The trigger finger lock subsided completely. Problem solved, or so I thought.

When the condition returned, it was like everything before had been just a warm up. This time it was very painful to straighten the finger in the morning and worse still, the injection didn't work. I was referred to a specialist. But the condition had begun to affect my finger during waking hours, making it difficult and painful to do things which before I took for granted. Holding something, or clenching my hand or being able to click my fingers! Suddenly these ordinary, movements had become a cause of pain.

Another trip to a Specialist and another steroid injection. But this time something new. You see, during the period I was waiting for the appointment with the specialist, I tried a different approach. I used something which would hold my finger in an open position, allowing movement but not sufficient movement to allow for my finger to lock. The difference was a revelation. I no longer woke up with the dread of having to 'unlock' my trigger finger. I could even carry on during the day as normal, and because the solution was virtually invisible, I didn't have to 'explain' anything to anyone. I still went ahead with the specialist appointment, but my trigger finger is almost gone now. The Specialist I saw, talked about surgery as being the only alternative, but when I told him that the condition had been alleviated, he acknowledged that by not allowing the finger to lock, the swelling, which caused the impediment to easy finger movement, would have a chance to calm and become less swollen and painful.

Will it return? well maybe, we will see, but if it does I will know what to do and how to cope - without surgery.

Trigger Finger isn't funny, it is painful and distressing and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
To find out how I coped and actually overcame this painful condition, please visit Trigger Finger Treatment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_James