Tips to prevent recurrence of finger pain caused by trigger finger syndrome

I've heard many times that as you get older, various degenerative diseases appear in different parts of the body, but when I actually started experiencing such symptoms myself, I felt very surprised and upset.

About three years ago, I suddenly started experiencing pain in my left thumb. I woke up in the morning and my left thumb was so painful that I initially thought I had hit it against the bed or a table while sleeping. I thought it would get better in a few days, but as the pain worsened gradually, I finally went to the hospital. After examining, the doctor diagnosed it as trigger finger syndrome and asked about the pain level, then immediately administered an injection. After the injection, I felt numb for about two days, but from the next day, the pain almost disappeared. However, the problem was that it kept recurring every few months. I tried physical therapy and received injections again, but I realized I couldn't live like this forever, so I looked up various information. The cause of this condition is mainly due to overuse, so complete cure is unlikely; the best solution is to avoid using the finger, but that’s impossible.

So, I set a goal to minimize the use of this finger in daily life as much as possible. As I went about my daily activities, I realized I use my left thumb quite a lot. When opening bottled water caps, preparing fish, doing the dishes, and so on, I tend to use a lot of force, which seems to be the cause. If I continue like this, I think my right thumb will soon experience the same condition, so I decided to change my habits.

First, I decided to use a tool instead of my hands when opening bottled water. Since I frequently need to open bottles, using a tool each time has significantly reduced the use of my fingers.

Secondly, I am adjusting my diet to reduce the intake of carbohydrates that can cause internal inflammation and to consume high-quality proteins. Bread... I love it so much, but I am gradually cutting back. When health is right in front of me, I realize I can't ignore it.

Third, this is a stretch for overused fingers. Since people tend to use only the side of the body they are most comfortable with, the opposite muscles and joints lack movement, while the side that is used more becomes overused. Therefore, it is necessary to forcibly stretch the joints on the opposite side of the thumb that are always in use. Not only for painful fingers in modern times but also for other fingers, performing the same stretching method can prevent the same condition from occurring.

Thanks to my own efforts, it's been about a year since the last recurrence, and I am doing well without pain. I always pay close attention, try to reduce usage whenever possible, do stretching, and if I feel like I’ve used my fingers a lot, I make sure to rest accordingly.

If you have suffered from trigger finger like me, please keep in mind that it is important to make every effort to prevent it from worsening, and it would be good to pay attention and use your fingers carefully in daily life.