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This ailment most often arises as a result of a mechanical injury (e.g. pressure of the hand on hard objects), which leads to inflammation with the formation of granulation tissue in the tendons of the flexor muscles of the fingers.
The thickened tendon hardly passes through the physiologically narrowed sheath, and the strength of the flexor muscles is greater than that of the extensor muscles. This results in difficulties in straightening the bent finger. Hence the common name of the disease – snapping finger. Another name for this ailment is jam tendinitis.
Chronic tendinitis most often affects the thumb or other fingers. It is less common in the wrist, knee or elbow joints.
Crackling finger – The essence of the disease
Trapping tendinitis is inflammation and thickening of a tendon in the thumb, ring or index finger. The patient has difficulty bending and straightening the affected finger. A distinctive feature of this inflammation is that you can hear a crackle every time you bend or straighten your finger. The finger does not bend properly, which makes it difficult to perform many simple activities. It also often stays in a locked position. You have to put a lot of effort into straightening your finger, and it usually costs you a lot of pain.
Snapping finger – A disease of many professions
The causes of a crackling finger may vary, but it is always the result of repeated muscle overload. People who play instruments, sew documents, weave carpets by hand, repair tapestries, knit, etc., suffer from this type of tendinitis. Repeating the same movement keeps the same tendons and muscles constantly tense. Over time, it becomes overloaded and this leads to inflammation. The smoothness of movements is limited because a significant thickening forms on the flexor tendon.
Another cause of a snapping finger can be rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Sometimes the condition is a complication of diabetes or micro-injuries that occur while playing volleyball. The ailment may also occur in people who have suffered a contusion or injury in the area of the hand.
Most often, people over 40 suffer from crackling finger. They are more often women than men, but children are also increasingly affected by this condition.
Common symptoms of a snapping finger
The typical symptoms of jamming tendinitis are:
1. Formation of a lump at the base of the finger on the outside. The lump, or thickened tendon, is painful to touch. It makes it very difficult to perform even simple activities, such as tying shoelaces or threading a needle.
2. Restriction of smooth movement of the entire finger or the part that is inflamed. You cannot bend and straighten your finger freely, and each movement is accompanied by a characteristic click (click) and severe pain.
3. The symptom of the advanced form of the disease is complete blockade. The most serious symptom is a complete blockage of the finger. If the patient does not seek help, a permanent contracture will occur and the possibility of grasping will be lost.
4. Swelling is a less frequently observed symptom. A symptom that appears and subsides by itself is reddening of the skin on the finger affected by the inflammation.
Snapping finger – What treatment?
Anti-inflammatory drugs and rehabilitation are usually used in young people and children. The same is done in the case of mature people, but only if they consult a doctor at an early stage of the disease and when the finger’s mobility has not yet been restricted. Your doctor may also advise you to keep your finger straight (for three weeks). If medications and rehabilitation do not bring the expected result, it is necessary to undergo a repair procedure. The surgical procedure consists in cutting the fibrous sheath of the inflamed tendon, which restores mobility. If the wrist is inflamed, the surgeon recreates the sheath rings and widens them during surgery. The operation takes several dozen minutes and is usually performed under local anesthesia. After surgery, you should keep your arm in a sling for four weeks for the operated tendon and the postoperative wound to heal properly. It is also necessary to rehabilitate for a dozen or so days. Work involving the operated tendon must not be performed immediately after the operation. After the treatment is completed, full fitness returns.
People who do not undergo surgery usually develop permanent finger contracture, and when the wrist is affected, loss of grasping ability.