Treatment of Trigger Finger With Steroid Injection Versus Steroid Injection and Splinting

Trigger Finger Clinical Trial

Official title: Treatment of Trigger Finger With Steroid Injection Versus Steroid Injection and Splinting: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status Active, not recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

Hypothesis: Treatment of trigger finger by corticosteroid injection and splinting is superior to corticosteroid treatment alone.

Clinical Trial Description

Stenosing tenosynovitis, or more commonly "trigger finger" is a disease that can severely impact a patient's quality of life. Its incidence is said to be 28 persons per 100,000 annually. The disease is manifested in one or more fingers by finger locking in flexion or extension, leading to pain, discomfort and at times, loss of function. Patients frequently report having to snap their fingers back in position to alleviate symptoms. The pathophysiology relates to thickening of the flexor tendon sheath, which can impair tendon gliding within it.

Although multiple treatment strategies are available, it is not entirely clear which treatment offers the best outcome, especially when the finger has not reached end stage locking. In general, corticosteroid injection into the tendon sheath is offered as the first line of treatment. Splinting alone has also been described as a reliable method treatment. However, Patel and Bassini indicated that steroid injection results in fewer recurrences than splinting alone. Surgery is typically reserved for recurrent triggering, cases refractory to injection, or digits locked in flexion. The effects of steroid injection followed by splinting however have not been reported in a comprehensive fashion. It may be that this form of treatment could result in a synergistic effect, which can offer a treatment modality superior to either injection or splinting alone. The purpose of this research study is to determine whether steroid injection followed by splinting is superior to injection alone. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Single Blind (Caregiver), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Stenosing Tenosynovitis
• Tendon Entrapment
• Tenosynovitis
• Trigger Finger
• Trigger Finger Disorder

• NCT number: NCT01886157
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: The Philadelphia & South Jersey Hand Center
• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: May 2013
• Completion date: May 2016