EXPERT advice from Dr Zoe Williams, our resident specialist and NHS GP
This week Dr Zoe Williams helps a reader who has a trigger finger.
Q) FOR the past four weeks, I have suffered severe pain in my right middle finger.
When I wake up in the morning the finger is bent into the palm of my hand.
It is very painful when I straighten it.
I am an 80-year-old man in reasonably good health.
Friends say I have “trigger finger”, but I don’t wish to waste my GP’s time. What do I do?
A) Great to hear that you’re generally in good health but sorry to hear that you are struggling with this painful hand condition.
It does sound very much like trigger finger.
This condition occurs when one of the tendons that moves the finger gets stuck due to inflammation in either the tendon itself or the tunnel it passes through in the palm.
The condition can be treated but your GP needs to confirm the diagnosis before referring you to a physio-therapist or hand specialist.
A steroid injection, wearing a splint and surgery are all potential treatment options.
In the meantime, rest it all you can and take anti-inflammatory medicines if they’re safe for you.
Trigger finger can get better on its own, but it sounds as though your case has progressed quite quickly and if left untreated, there’s a risk that the finger can become permanently bent, so please get that appointment booked.
TIP: If you have to take antibiotics for an infection, consider taking probiotics for some time afterwards.
This helps support the diversity of gut bacteria after antibiotics have stripped away some of the good bacteria.
A healthy gut is crucial for the immune system, digestion and skin health.
