Revised on: 06/29/2026
If you’ve noticed that your finger gets stuck when you try to bend it—or if it “pops” back out like a spring—you might have a condition called trigger finger. The name may sound unusual, but trigger finger is a problem with the tendons or tendon sheaths in your finger. It causes your finger to “trigger” or catch when you move it.
More common in women, and often related to age, trigger finger can be a frustrating condition, especially if it limits your ability to go about your daily life or do the hobbies you enjoy.
We sat down with Debra M. Parisi, MD, hand surgeon at Summit Orthopedics, to learn what trigger finger is and which treatments can get your hand moving smoothly again.
What Is Trigger Finger?
Trigger finger is when your finger bends due to swelling or irritation in the tendons or tendon sheaths that run through the palm of the hand and into each finger.
“You can think of the sheath as a tunnel for the tendons,” Dr. Parisi says. “When everything is working properly, the tendons glide smoothly through the tunnel as you move your finger.”
However, the sheath can thicken, and the tendons may swell. As a result, tendons can catch as they move into the sheath. That catching can be painful. Over time, you may find it harder and harder to straighten or bend your finger. Eventually, it may stick in a bent position and pop or “trigger” open when you try to straighten it.
Trigger finger can affect any finger, but it often affects the ring finger and the thumb. If it happens in your thumb, doctors will call it trigger thumb.
What Is the Main Cause of Trigger Finger?
In most cases, trigger finger is an age-related problem, according to Dr. Parisi. As you get older, the tissues in your hand can wear down, increasing your risk of developing trigger finger.
But other factors can also increase your risk. They include:
- Diabetes and thyroid disorders: Both conditions limit the amount of blood reaching the tendons. “The tendon responds by thickening the tendon sheath,” Dr. Parisi says. “As the tendon sheath gets thicker, the tendon begins to get caught as it glides back and forth within the sheath.” People with diabetes may also get trigger finger at younger ages, she adds.
- Overuse: Repetitive stress of the hand and fingers may contribute to inflammation of the tendon sheath or tendon.
- Physical stress: Trigger finger can develop in people who do a lot of forceful activities, such as squeezing or lifting.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that can cause inflammation in the hands. According to Dr. Parisi, inflammation around tendons can increase your risk of trigger finger.
What Does Trigger Finger Feel Like?
Many people with trigger finger feel popping, snapping, clicking or catching sensations when they try to move their finger. It may also feel like crackling, which doctors call “crepitus.”
Other symptoms of trigger finger that you might feel include:
- Difficulty bending or straightening your finger
- Pain, which may be at the base of the affected finger or thumb
- Stiffness that you may notice more in the morning
- A tender lump on the palm side of your hand, at the bottom of your finger or thumb
What Will Happen If Trigger Finger Isn’t Treated?
Although a trigger finger can go away on its own, it often doesn’t.
“If you don’t treat trigger finger, you are probably going to see the problem get worse over time,” Dr. Parisi says. “The longer the condition goes untreated, the more likely you are to develop a finger contracture. Sometimes, the finger becomes completely stuck down.”
How Do You Get Rid of Trigger Finger?
You may not be able to permanently “get rid” of trigger finger. Unfortunately, having it once means you’re more likely to get it again, even if you treat it.
Still, the condition is very treatable, Dr. Parisi says. Doctors have many options for treating symptoms, and the right option for you depends on the severity of your condition.
“If it’s a very mild trigger finger and not actually getting locked, then I may recommend simple things like physical therapy or anti-inflammatory medications,” Dr. Parisi says. “If the condition is more advanced, I may recommend cortisone injections or surgery.”
Nonsurgical Trigger Finger Treatments
- Anti-inflammatory medications: Over-the-counter or prescription medications may lower inflammation that causes the tendon to stick.
- Corticosteroid injections: Cortisone is an anti-inflammatory medication. These injections work well for many people, but you might need more than one injection for full relief.
- Night splinting: Clenching or curling your fists during the night can cause a trigger finger to stick, Dr. Parisi cautions. Wearing a splint at night keeps your fingers straight.
- Physical therapy: Physical or hand therapists may use ultrasound to reduce inflammation in the tendon sheath or recommend hand exercises that improve how the tendon glides through the tendon sheath.
Dr. Parisi usually starts with cortisone injections because they work so well for many people with trigger finger. But the injections can stop working over time, and in those cases, she recommends surgery. She may also recommend surgery sooner to people with underlying conditions, since they may not respond as well to nonsurgical treatments.
Trigger Finger Release Surgery
Surgery to treat trigger finger is called trigger finger release. It isn’t a major surgery. You can have it as an outpatient, meaning you go home the same day. And doctors often use local anesthesia, which numbs a small area.
During the procedure, a hand specialist makes a small cut in the palm over the A1 pulley, which is the entrance of the tendon sheath and can block the tendon from moving freely. Once it’s cut, the tendon can move more easily, and the catching or locking sensation stops.
The procedure can be very successful, and recovery may take as few as two to four weeks.
In Conclusion
Trigger finger is a common but frustrating condition. It happens when a tendon in your hand cannot glide smoothly through the tendon sheath. As a result, your finger may catch or get locked in a bent position and “pop” when you try to straighten it.
Here are a few key points Dr. Parisi likes people to remember:
- The condition is very treatable, but it can come back, even after treatment.
- Cortisone injections help many people with trigger finger find relief from symptoms.
- You may need surgery if injections don’t work or you have an underlying medical condition.
- The earlier you ask for help, the sooner you can find relief.
