Efficacy of local corticosteroid injection in trigger finger treatment

Flexor tendon entrapment of the digits (FTED) is a disorder characterized by snapping or locking of the thumb or fingers (with or without pain) and called trigger finger. Corticosteroid injections are one of the most commonly used treatments for chronic tendon disorders. Despite their popularity, the systematic evidence for their benefits are largely lacking. This study tries to determine the efficacy of local corticosteroid injection in treatment of trigger finger. This is a clinical trial research. Variables including local tenderness, trigerring stage, pain during isometric flexion and passive stretching of the tendon (based on VAS) were evaluated before local injection of corticosteroid and then 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after the injection. Data was collected by special forms and analyzed using Chi square and ANOVA Tests. The difference between persence of A1 pulley tenderness in 4 examinations was significant (p<0.0001). The difference between pain induced by isometric flexion and pain induced by stretching the tendon passively in extension was also significant (both p<0.0001). The difference between frequency distribution of triggering was significant (p<0.0001). Patients satisfaction was 90%. The rate of success in local corticosteroid injection was 90% (only with one injection). The high rate of success and low side effects, make this method a suitable treatment for trigger finger.