Trigger finger is a frustrating condition to develop. While it may not cause much pain, it becomes quite inconvenient to live with. As your finger curls closer and closer to your palm, you become less and less able to use it, and also less able to use your whole hand. Luckily, there is a surgical procedure that can release your trigger finger so that you are able to begin using your hand normally once again. If you're considering that procedure, here's a look at what you can expect.

Anesthesia and Preparation

The good news is that this is an easy surgery to prep for. It's almost always performed with a regional or local anesthetic. In other words, your hand, or potentially your whole arm, will be numb during the operation. However, you will be left awake. You won't be put under general anesthetic, you won't have a breathing tube or catheter, and you won't have to do any pre-anesthesia prep such as fasting.

Who Does It?

Usually, this procedure is done by an orthopedic surgeon, which is a surgeon who specializes in treating ailments of the muscles, bones, and joints. More specifically, your doctor will probably refer you to an orthopedist who specializes in hand surgery. Trigger finger surgery is pretty common, so there's a good chance your orthopedist will have operated on many similar cases before yours. This should give you confidence in their approach.

How the Procedure Works

Once your hand is numb, the surgeon will begin by making a small incision in the palm of your hand, right where your finger meets your palm. Through this small incision, your surgeon will access the flexor tendon associated with the affected finger. They'll then cut just a small portion of this tendon where it connects to the muscles in your palm. This will release your trigger finger. Your surgeon will then stitch up the incision. 

Results and Recovery

You'll need to wear a bandage on your hand for a few days post-surgery. Often, patients benefit from physical therapy to regain full use of their fingers after this procedure. It may feel stiff at first, and you may not be able to bend it fully, but physical therapy can help with that. You should be back to most activities within about a month, and things will only get better from there,

If you struggle with trigger finger, surgery is often a good solution.

For more info about hand surgery, contact a local company. 

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