Steemit Learning Challenge-S22W3; Trigger Finger"
Greetings and welcome to the blog. It’s another week of great learning. Below my assignment.
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Trigger finger is a condition that leads to swelling and pains in the fingers when the sheaths and tendons surrounding the fingers are inflamed or damaged.
Tenosynovitis is commonly caused by
- too much use or constant use of the fingers
- Due to poor posture or ergonomics
- When there is Injury or sudden trauma to the fingers
- Due to presence of diseases like arthritis, gout or diabetes
Symptoms of trigger finger includes:
- Presence of pain or tenderness when flexion or finger extension movements are done.
- Locking or clicking feelings in the fingers
- Redness or swelling when the tendons are inflamed
- ROM reduces at the finger joints due to stiffness
Stages of trigger finger
- Pre-trigger stage: Presence of stiffness and pain but absence of clicking sensations.
- Triggering stage: when range of motions are performed like extensions, Flexion etc, there will be snapping or clicking sensation.
- Locking stage: This is the severe stage and the fingers may get stuck when bent, may experience partial movement only to return to the bent position after it straightens.
To diagnose trigger finger, the following would be considered;
- The patients occupation, the surgical and medical history in the past and family background.
- Use of ultrasound, X-ray or MRI to check for arthritis or any ruptures of the tendons of the finger.
- A physician or therapist can carry out a thorough examination physically
- NCS can be performed in case nerves are involved
Some special tests can be performed which includes:
- Notta’s test
- Flick test
- Modified Tinel’s test
- Trigger Test
- Modified Phalen’s test
Massage of Finger Joints
Trigger finger usually starts with the muscles hence this involves massaging the finger joints especially feeling the joints of the knuckles. This helps to relax the nerves and when done over a period of days and weeks, results are visible.
Finger Extensor Strengthening
This involves strengthening the fingers to enhance the range of motions. This can be done using a rubber band as in the video. Place the rubber band at the top of the fingers and strengthen outwards by pulling the fingers to extend the band. Compress the fingers slowly and repeat about five to ten times.
Trigger Finger Stretch
This helps to work on the finger range of motion. Bend the affected finger at the joints as in the video ensuring there’s no clicking or locking sound and pull out slowly while repeating about five to ten times.
Ensure to apply heat pads on exercise places for about five to ten minutes to sooth the muscles.
The finger joints felt relaxed and range of motion was visible improved. It’s a good therapy for finger joint health.
Thank you for reading through. I ask @memphiz, @jovita3, and @ngozi99 to participate in the learning challenge.
Thank you for understanding the lesson and sharing your assignment; I hope that you will enjoy this week's lesson and try to implement it in your life if you see any such case.
Observations
Task 1 (3/3)
You have shared a great knowledge about trigger finger, its symptoms, causes and it's stages. I appreciate your effort.
Task 2 (2.6/3)
In the second question, you tell us about how you have to assess a patient by doing physical examination, history taking, special tests and investigations. It would be better to add explanation of special tests. Great.
Task 3 (4/4)
You try the trigger finger stretch, finger joint massage, finger extensor strengthening. You did the finger joint massage stretches, finger extensor strengthening and trigger finger stretch correctly. Always remember to apply heat pack in chronic condition and ice pack in acute condition before performing exercises to relax the muscles and reduce stiffness. I appreciate your efforts.
Overall you made a great attempt to answer all the questions. I appreciate your efforts. But next time try to avoid the above written suggestions. Keep learning and try to implement your knowledge to the people suffering from trigger finger or any type of finger issue. Thank you.