Just checking in gang... the finger is working. It's a little stiff, but I'm playing guitar again. The triggering is gone and today will be the first day back in the shop since the surgery. I finally got my wedding ring back on it yesterday so the swelling is almost gone. It's a minor ordeal, but the payoff is good. If you ever get trigger finger (and some percentage of you will), the surgical solution hurts, but it's momentary and the results are a fully functioning finger. Hopefully, this is the last one that I get.
For the uninitiated, trigger finger occurs when the first pulley in the chain up the bottom of a finger thickens and starts putting friction on the two tendons that are confined within. As a result, the tendon develops a bulge which exacerbates the situation. These pulleys are necessary to keep the tendons against the finger instead of bowstring out when you apply pressure. When you bend your finger at the 2nd joint, the bulge exits the pulley. When you try to straighten the finger, the bulge can no longer easily enter the pulley it just left. In the beginning, the tendon bulge enters with a clicking or snapping feeling. It then gets more inflamed and begins to get sore which causes everything to get worse. Eventually, the bulge can no longer re-enter the pulley under its own power and the finger locks (triggers) in the bent position. You can force it straight with the other hand and it's very painful.
The docs don't know why some people get it and most don't. It may be inherited. It comes to people susceptible to gout. It may also come from repetitive motion, which in my case is what I'm ascribing it to. Playing guitar and building models most of my life has used my hands a lot. My orthopedic surgeon son in law disabuses me of this theory saying he has patients with triggers who do no more with their hands than operate their TV remote. We agreed to disagree.
If the doctor wants to do the release externally using a the sharp edge of a hypodermic needle, be aware that the pulley can grow back if it's not completely severed. That's what happened in my case. This same finger was released percutaneously about 15 years ago. The pulley re-grew and triggered worse than it did the first time. The only way to really be sure that the strap is fully severed is to surgically open the palm and see what they're doing.
Today, I'll be finishing up the tunnel portals and figuring how much Masonite I need to buy to profile the mountain.
