Acupuncture for Trigger Finger

How Chinese medicine understands trigger finger

In Chinese medicine, the tendons are called “sinews”, and they rely on the Liver system for nourishment and on a free flow of Qi and Blood to move smoothly. A finger that catches and locks is seen as a sinew that has become stiff, knotted or obstructed.

The common patterns are:

• Qi and Blood stagnation. Often follows overuse: long hours of gripping, a new hobby or a change in work. The lump in the palm is tender, the pain is fixed in one spot, and it is worse after heavy use.
• Liver Blood deficiency. The sinews are seen as poorly nourished, so they dry and stiffen. It often comes with dry skin or nails, tired eyes, cramps, or stiffness in more than one finger, and tends to appear in middle age.
• Cold and Damp. Stiffness is worse in cold weather and in the morning, and the hand feels better with warmth.

These patterns often overlap. A finger that locked after a busy weekend of pruning is treated differently from several stiff fingers in someone who feels run down.

What treatment involves

Your first visit includes a lot of questions: which finger, when it catches, what you do with your hands, and your general health, including diabetes or arthritis. I also look at your tongue and take your pulse. Treatment at the clinic in Keswick follows the pattern that comes out of that.

Acupuncture aims to ease pain around the tendon and relax the forearm muscles that pull on it. Points are commonly chosen along the forearm, the hand and elsewhere on the body. I treat the whole body at every treatment, not only the area that hurts.

For a Cold pattern, moxibustion can bring warmth to the hand and forearm. Tuina massage of the forearm can loosen tight muscles, done gently so that the sore tendon is not irritated. When the pattern calls for it, Chinese herbal medicine is a formula written for you and dispensed at the clinic.

Trigger finger that has been locking for a long time can need a steroid injection or a minor procedure. Treatment can sit alongside that care. Research on acupuncture for trigger finger is still developing. Plan on 5–10 treatments to judge progress.

Between visits

• Rest the finger from what sets it off. Change your grip, use padded handles, or split up long gripping tasks.
• Try a splint if your doctor or hand therapist suggests one. Splinting the finger straight at night is a common approach.
• Use gentle movement. Slowly bending and straightening the finger in warm water can ease morning stiffness. Do not force a locked finger.
• Warm the hand before using it in the morning or in cold weather.

When to see your doctor first

See your doctor, or promptly if you are already coming in, if:

• The finger is locked bent and will not straighten.
• The finger or palm is red, hot or swollen, or you have a fever. A tendon sheath infection is an emergency. Go to the emergency department.
• The problem started after a cut, puncture or injury to the hand.
• You have numbness, tingling or weakness in the hand.
• Several fingers or joints are stiff and swollen, which can point to arthritis.
• You have diabetes and your hand symptoms are new or changing.