HAND | Trigger Finger
Trigger Finger Treatment and Release Surgery
A finger that clicks, catches or locks isn't wear and tear you have to accept. It's a tendon problem with two reliable fixes, one of them an injection. Consultant-led care at Berkshire Grove Hospital.
Injection
Minutes, same visit
Surgery time
15 to 20 minutes
Anaesthetic
Local
Return home
Same day
Is this you?
Most People Who Come To Us For Trigger Finger Say One Of These Things:
My finger clicks every time I make a fist.
Some mornings it locks bent, and I have to pull it straight with the other hand.
There's a tender little lump in my palm at the base of the finger.
It started as a click. Now it actually hurts.
It's my thumb, and it's making everything awkward.
I've stopped shaking hands because of it.
Trigger finger tends to escalate from clicking to catching to locking. The earlier it's treated, the more likely an injection alone fixes it.
THE CATCHING TENDON
What Is Trigger Finger?
Trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis) happens when the tendon that bends your finger no longer glides smoothly through its tunnel at the base of the finger. The tendon thickens, or its tunnel tightens, and the tendon catches as it passes, producing the click, the catch, and eventually the lock. The tender nodule many patients feel in the palm is the thickened tendon itself.
It's more common in people with diabetes, after repetitive gripping, and in the thumb and ring finger, and it can affect several fingers over time. It isn't arthritis, and it doesn't damage the joint; it's mechanical, which is exactly why treatment works so well.
It's more common in people with diabetes, after repetitive gripping, and in the thumb and ring finger, and it can affect several fingers over time. It isn't arthritis, and it doesn't damage the joint; it's mechanical, which is exactly why treatment works so well.
KNOW THE SIGNS
From Click, To Catch, To Lock
Trigger finger progresses in recognisable stages: painless clicking first, then painful catching as the finger bends, then locking that needs the other hand to straighten it, and in late cases a finger that stays bent. Mornings are usually worst, a tender nodule in the palm at the base of the affected finger is common, and more than one finger can be involved over time.
Two lookalikes are worth naming. A finger that won't straighten because of firm cords in the palm is Dupuytren's contracture, a different condition with different treatment entirely, and stiff, painful joints suggest arthritis. Examination separates all three in minutes.
Two lookalikes are worth naming. A finger that won't straighten because of firm cords in the palm is Dupuytren's contracture, a different condition with different treatment entirely, and stiff, painful joints suggest arthritis. Examination separates all three in minutes.
A click is early, a catch is established, a lock is late. Every stage is treatable; earlier is easier.
Apex Medical
Expert care for the
Hardest-working part of you.
THE TREATMENT LADDER
Injection First, Surgery When It Counts
Steroid injection into the tendon tunnel is the standard first treatment: quick, done at your consultation, and it resolves the majority of early cases, though it can take a few weeks to work fully and sometimes needs repeating. It's less reliable in diabetes and long-established locking, and we'll be honest about your odds.
Release surgery divides the tight mouth of the tunnel (the A1 pulley) so the tendon glides freely again: 15 to 20 minutes under local anaesthetic, a small incision in the palm, and a permanent fix in almost all cases. It's the right answer when injections have failed or worn off, or when a finger locks hard.
Release surgery divides the tight mouth of the tunnel (the A1 pulley) so the tendon glides freely again: 15 to 20 minutes under local anaesthetic, a small incision in the palm, and a permanent fix in almost all cases. It's the right answer when injections have failed or worn off, or when a finger locks hard.
Consultant-led care
Led by a Hand & Nerve
Specialist You Can Trust.
Apex Medical was founded by Mr Kuen Yeow Chin, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Plastic Surgery at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. Hand surgery, including trigger finger release, is one of his defining specialisms, and he is a member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH).
Your consultation, your procedure and your follow-up are with the same consultant throughout: the surgeon who assesses your hand is the surgeon who treats it.
Your consultation, your procedure and your follow-up are with the same consultant throughout: the surgeon who assesses your hand is the surgeon who treats it.
Your clinical team:
Mr. Kuen Yeow Chin
Consultant Plastic Surgeon & Skin Cancer Specialist
Reconstructive surgery and advanced skin cancer treatment
Sarah Millward
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin checks, mole screening, and early skin cancer detection.
Laura O'Hare
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin lesion care, post-surgical recovery, and private dermatology services.
Jackie Brighton
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Expert mole checks, lesion assessment, and aftercare for skin cancer patients.
Jennifer Povey
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin care treatment, photodynamic therapy (PDT), cryotheraphy, and personalised patient care.
Mr. Kuen Yeow Chin
Consultant Plastic Surgeon & Skin Cancer Specialist
Reconstructive surgery and advanced skin cancer treatment
YOUR CARE, STEP BY STEP
How Your Trigger Finger Treatment Works
Five steps, and for many patients only two of them: most early cases are diagnosed and injected at the same first visit. Surgery waits in reserve, and when it's needed, it's one of hand surgery's most reliable small operations.
A
Consultation
Diagnosis is clinical and usually immediate; no scans needed in typical cases.
B
Injection, Often Same Visit
If the ladder starts there, you leave treated.
C
Surgery, If And When Needed
A short palm incision under local anaesthetic; you'll often be asked to bend the finger on the table to prove the click has gone before closure.
D
Early Recovery
Move the finger from day one; light dressing for a few days; stitches out around 10 to 14 days; palm tenderness fades over a few weeks.
E
Back to Life
Desk work within days; grip-heavy work usually 2 to 4 weeks; the click, gone for good.
Transparent Pricing
Trigger Finger Treatment Pricing
Fixed, transparent pricing with no hidden extras. Your exact quote is confirmed in writing at consultation, before you commit to anything, and includes your follow-up care.
Initial Consultation
Consultant examination and diagnosis, usually immediate, with your trigger finger treatment ladder laid out honestly. Your fee is confirmed when you book.
£X
Steroid Injection
The standard first treatment, usually done at your consultation; most early cases settle within weeks.
£500
Trigger Finger Release Surgery
A 15 to 20 minute release under local anaesthetic. Your final quote depends on the number of fingers treated and is confirmed in writing before you decide anything.
From £1,500
Ongoing Care
Recovery and Aftercare
Move the finger early and often; that's the single most useful instruction, and it starts on day one. The light dressing comes off within days, stitches come out around 10 to 14 days, and palm tenderness fades over a few weeks with simple scar massage once the wound is healed. Desk work resumes within days; grip-heavy work rebuilds over two to four weeks. The click, once released, is gone for good.
If another finger begins clicking later, and in some hands they do, you'll recognise the signs early. Earlier is easier: injections work best at the click stage, and you'll know exactly where to come.a
If another finger begins clicking later, and in some hands they do, you'll recognise the signs early. Earlier is easier: injections work best at the click stage, and you'll know exactly where to come.a
Where to find us
Consultant-led care at Berkshire Grove Hospital
Apex Medical is based at Berkshire Grove Hospital in Maidenhead, with clinics also at the Parkside Suite. Patients travel to us from Reading, Windsor, Slough, Marlow, Bracknell, London and across Berkshire, Surrey and Oxfordshire for consultant-led care in a regulated private hospital, without long waiting times. On-site parking is available.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm | Saturday by appointment only | Sunday closed
Phone
020 3871 5898
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Trigger Finger at Apex Medical
Occasionally, in very early cases. More typically it progresses from clicking to locking over months. Splinting and activity change can help mild cases, but established triggering rarely resolves untreated.
They resolve most early cases, often within two to four weeks. Around half of cases eventually recur, and results are less reliable in diabetes; when a second injection fails, surgery is the honest recommendation.
No. It's one of hand surgery's most reliable small operations: 15 to 20 minutes, local anaesthetic, home the same day, and a permanent cure in the great majority of cases.
The palm is tender for a couple of weeks and firm gripping is uncomfortable at first. Simple painkillers cover it, and moving the finger early actually helps recovery.
Yes, multiple fingers can be released in one sitting, and injection and surgery can be mixed across fingers at different stages.
Driving within a few days once you can grip comfortably; desk work almost immediately; heavy gripping work typically 2 to 4 weeks.
Patient Stories.
In our patients' own words
BOOK A CONSULTATION
Fix The Click Before It Becomes A Lock
Most trigger finger patients wish they'd come in sooner: the earlier stage you're at, the simpler the fix. Book a consultation, and you may leave with the treatment already done.
Book a Consultation
Consultant-led private skin, hands and aesthetic care across Berkshire. Precise, caring and expert.