Valentine’s Day is Friday! Who doesn’t love to make a heart-shape symbol with their two hands? It can be such a nice gesture…maybe even easier with a trigger finger! Trigger finger is a condition in which a finger gets stuck in a bent position due to inflammation around the tendons. Acupuncture can offer freedom from being “stuck,” both emotionally and physically, if you get my “point.”
There’s hope because acupuncture can often treat trigger finger—entirely. Surgery and cortisone injections are also options for trigger finger, but acupuncture is less invasive, and doesn’t cause unwanted side effects.
“Acupuncture for the treatment of trigger finger in adults: a prospective case series,” was a study published in Acupuncture Medicine in October of 2016. The objective of this prospective case series was to determine if acupuncture was effective for treating trigger finger. The study involved 15 patients; in that group, there were 19 trigger fingers. Acupuncture was performed on each patient up to five times (one treatment a day). The pain levels and severity of snapping caused by the inflamed tendons was assessed before and after each acupuncture treatment using a visual analogue scale (VAS).
This study reported that the pain and severity of snapping decreased immediately after the first treatment, and that improvement increased with continued acupuncture treatments. Specifically, acupuncture was performed at the synovial and ligamentous tendon sheath of the affected finger, known by acupuncturists as the A1 pulley site, and needled both at the radial and ulnar sides of the flexor tendon (Inoue, et al., 2016).
Researchers noted: “Acupuncture my reduce inflammation/ swelling of the synovial membrane of the tendon sheath, which predominates when the disorder is of short duration” (Inoue, et al., 2016).
To put it simply, acupuncture may very well treat trigger finger, especially if the condition has persisted for many weeks, or if it is recurring. Hopefully, that heart-shape gesture will also be intended for your acupuncturist and their successful acupuncture treatment!
Acupuncturist, herbalist, Maya abdominal practitioner, and reflexologist Christina Morris is the founder of Element Natural Healing Arts. Writing about health and wellness gives her an outlet to express her care and concern for her beloved community. She believes everyone can achieve better health and happiness–emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Reference
Inoue M., Nakajima M., Hojo T., Itoi M., & Kitakoji H. Acupuncture for the treatment of trigger finger in adults: a prospective case series. Acupunct Med. 2016, Oct. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27401746