Conservative Treatment of Trigger Finger

This retrospective study examines the effectiveness of conservative (non-surgical) treatment for trigger finger — a condition officially known as stenosing flexor tenosynovitis — in which a finger gets stuck in a bent position and must be forcibly straightened, sometimes with a painful "click." It occurs when inflammation narrows the tendon sheath around the finger's flexor tendon. Conservative treatment typically involves cortisone injections, splinting, and exercises. The study reviews medical records to understand how well these approaches work across a real-world patient population. Adults aged 18 and older who have a diagnosis of trigger finger and have received at least one cortisone injection in the affected finger are eligible for records review. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a history of traumatic hand injury, or cognitive problems preventing proper consent are excluded, as are non-English speakers and those who have opted out of research participation. Trigger finger is one of the most common hand conditions treated in outpatient orthopedic and primary care settings, yet the long-term success rates of conservative treatment — and the factors that predict who eventually needs surgery — are incompletely understood. By analyzing outcomes in a large real-world cohort, this study can help clinicians counsel patients more accurately about what to expect and when to escalate to surgical intervention.