How to Help Trigger Finger – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 470
trigger finger
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph.
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Trigger finger is a common condition. It’s painful. The finger is catching in both directions. When you try to bend it, it can catch and when you try to straighten it out, it can lock. Trigger finger is pretty common and there are specific symptoms to it. For instance, you get this nodule at the bottom of the finger by the palm. The finger catches and kind of locks when you bend it and it can suddenly pop straight out again. You can feel it clicking into place and you get stiffness, especially in the morning.†
The name ‘trigger finger’ comes from this trigger-like snap when your finger suddenly releases. Today, we’re going to talk about trigger finger, who’s more prone to developing it, why they get it and what I would recommend as a viable alternative to typical treatments.†
What is trigger finger?
Trigger finger is also known as stenosing tenosynovitis. It mostly affects two fingers, the ring finger or the thumb, but it can happen in any finger. It’s pretty common. It occurs more frequently in women than in men. It’s more common in people in their 50s and early 60s.†
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It’s an issue because the tendons that bend the fingers stiffen and are in pain. The tendons in the finger go through a sheath and trigger finger occurs when either the tendons or the sheath get inflamed. This causes swelling and there’s not enough room for the tendon to glide smoothly through the sheath. Then the tendon catches and can get stuck. You get popping, clicking and pain. It’s a vicious cycle because the more often this happens, the more it swells and gets irritated and the harder it is to treat.†
How to help this issue
If you wake up in the morning and you find that your thumb or other finger is locked in place, try massaging it. If there’s one nodule, an injection of a steroid into it usually helps most people. They generally give it about six weeks before they give you an injection. They tell you to take Advil or Aleve first before giving you the injection. If there are multiple nodules, the injections don’t work that well.†
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To treat trigger finger, you’re supposed to rest the finger that’s affected, but that’s not always doable. This is why we should turn to nutrients that have been proven to help with inflammation. Let’s talk about some natural, really safe alternatives for helping with trigger finger. These can be helpful with any type of tendonitis.†
First of all, let’s look at Devils Claw. This a shrubby plant that grows in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. Inside the plant, there is something called harpagosites. These are the magical ingredients that are great for inflammation. If you buy Devils Claw, you want it to be standardized for harpagosites. If you want to help with tendonitis, you need about 90 to 100mg of the harpagosites daily. Research has found that Devils Claw is great for pain and inflammation.†
Another ingredient that can help is Boswellia serrata, which is commonly called frankincense. Boswellia serrata has ingredients in it called AKBAs that are very good for inflammation. They inhibit a pathway called the lipoxygenase pathway, which is an inflammatory pathway that can inflame the joints, intestines, skin, prostate, urinary tract, lungs, brain and female reproductive system. The Boswellia serrata can be very helpful with these things.†
Another herb that can be very useful is turmeric, but make sure you use the entire plant. Research has shown that using the whole plant is better than just using its most significant ingredient, which is turmeric. There’s a turmeric blend with curcumin where they add the black pepper fruit called BioperineⓇ. This is called Curcumin Blend and it can help. There’s also Bio-CurcuminⓇ, which has many clinical trials looking at its benefits for inflammation and pain.†
In this episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. discusses the phenomenon of trigger finger, a type of tendonitis that affects only the fingers. He explains what causes it and offers recommendations for nutrients that can help tamper the inflammation occurring in the fingers.†
Key Topics:
- What do tendons do in the body?
- Common symptoms of trigger finger
- Who is more susceptible to developing this problem?
- How aging impacts tendon health
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