What's Happening
The tendon that bends your finger glides through a series of snug pulleys in your palm. With trigger finger, that tendon (or the pulley around it) becomes irritated and thickened, so it no longer glides smoothly — catching, snapping, or locking as the finger bends and straightens.
What Increases Your Risk
Repetitive gripping — gardening, hand tools, instruments, racquet sports
Most common between ages 40–60
Diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, or gout
How Symptoms Progress
Trigger finger typically moves through stages:
Early — a snapping or popping feeling, soreness at the base of the finger, worse in the morning
Progressing — increasing stiffness, swelling, and catching with bending
Advanced — the finger locks bent and needs help from your other hand to straighten
How We Treat It
Calm the irritation — activity modification and nighttime splinting to rest the tendon.
Restore smooth gliding — targeted tendon-gliding exercises and stretches.
Address contributing factors — grip technique and tool or equipment adjustments.
Progress activity — a gradual return to gripping tasks as motion normalizes.
Bottom line: Most trigger fingers improve with splinting and gliding exercises, especially when caught early. Injections or a simple release procedure are effective options if conservative care doesn't fully resolve it.