Video: Does your finger catch, click, or lock?

This one-minute video explains trigger finger: why the tendon that bends your finger snags on the A1 pulley at the base of the finger, the three warning signs worth acting on, and how treatment moves from splinting and a corticosteroid injection to an open A1 pulley release under local anesthesia when locking keeps coming back.

Full transcript

Spoken by Sarah, an AI-generated presenter.

Does a finger catch, click, or lock when you straighten it? Hi, I'm Sarah, Dr. Loredo's AI education assistant.

That can be trigger finger. The tendon that bends your finger glides through a narrow tunnel in your palm called the A1 pulley.

When the tendon or its sheath thickens, it catches as it passes through. Three warning signs. A finger that clicks or locks when you bend it.

A tender bump in your palm at the base of that finger. And morning stiffness.

Treatment starts conservatively: splinting, activity changes, and often a corticosteroid injection.

When locking keeps returning, Dr. Loredo performs an open A1 pulley release under local anesthesia.

Call (972) 939-4974. Start your forms at loredohand.com. New patients are seen within days.

Questions patients ask

What is trigger finger?

Trigger finger, also called stenosing tenosynovitis, is a condition in which a finger catches, clicks, or locks when you bend or straighten it. It happens when the flexor tendon that bends the finger no longer glides smoothly through the A1 pulley, a narrow tunnel in the palm at the base of the finger. The thumb, ring, and middle fingers are most often affected.

What are the warning signs of trigger finger?

A finger that catches, clicks, or snaps when you bend or straighten it. A tender, palpable nodule in the palm at the base of the affected finger. Stiffness that is worst first thing in the morning or after a period of inactivity. In more advanced cases the finger locks in a bent position and has to be straightened with the other hand.

How is trigger finger treated?

Treatment starts conservatively with night splinting, activity modification, and often a corticosteroid injection. When locking persists or returns, Dr. Loredo performs an open A1 pulley release through a small 1 to 2 cm incision in the palm under local anesthesia. Direct visualization lets him confirm the A1 pulley has been completely divided and keeps the digital nerves protected. More than one trigger finger can be released in the same sitting.

Who treats trigger finger near Southlake and Dallas-Fort Worth?

Dr. Pedro Loredo, MD, board-certified in General Surgery (American Board of Surgery) and Hand Surgery (American Board of Plastic Surgery), at Loredo Hand Care Institute, 431 E State Hwy 114, Suite 380, Southlake, TX 76092. The practice serves Southlake, Grapevine, Colleyville, Keller, Hurst, Bedford, Euless, North Richland Hills, Dallas and Fort Worth. New patients are seen within days. Call (972) 939-4974. Se habla español.

Read the full trigger finger condition page · Hand Health Daily: trigger finger

En español: ¿Se le traba, brinca o se queda doblado un dedo?

Un dedo que se traba, suena o se queda atorado puede ser dedo en gatillo. El tendón flexor se atora en la polea A1, en la base del dedo, cuando el tendón o su vaina se engrosa. Vigile tres señales: el dedo que se traba al doblarlo, una bolita sensible en la palma, y rigidez por la mañana. El tratamiento empieza de forma conservadora, con férula, cambios de actividad y con frecuencia una inyección de corticoesteroide. Cuando el dedo sigue trabándose, el Dr. Pedro Loredo, MD realiza la liberación abierta de la polea A1 con anestesia local.

Sarah es una presentadora generada por inteligencia artificial. Esta información es educación general para el paciente, no consejo médico. Solo una evaluación en persona puede decirle la causa de sus síntomas.