Going home after your visit
Trigger finger — advice for adults
Why your finger or thumb clicks and locks, and what you can do to help it settle.
You have trigger finger. A tendon that bends your finger or thumb catches as it moves through a tight tunnel, so the finger clicks, locks or feels stiff — often worse in the morning. It is not dangerous and often settles on its own.
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
this Emergency Department your nearest A&E other:
none needed
Get urgent same-day help if any of these happen
Most trigger fingers are harmless. These signs need checking sooner.
- The finger becomes red, hot, swollen and very painful
- You feel feverish or unwell with it
- The finger is stuck bent and will not straighten at all
- You get numbness or pins and needles in the finger
- The pain or locking is getting quickly worse
CALL 999 a red, hot, painful finger with a fever may mean an infection, which needs treating quickly — call 111, see your GP urgently, or go to an urgent treatment centre. A finger stuck bent should also be seen soon so the joint does not stiffen.
Helping it
- Rest from things that bring it on, such as repeated gripping.
- Wear a splint at night to keep the finger straight.
- Do gentle stretches and massage the area.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for a short time if you can take them.
- Most mild cases ease over a few weeks.
If it does not settle
If the clicking, locking or pain carries on or gets worse, see your GP. In many areas you can also refer yourself to a hand or physiotherapy service. Treatments that often help include a steroid injection, or a small operation to release the tight tunnel the tendon runs through. Many people get full relief once treated.
Where to get help
999
Life-threatening emergency, or a red-flag symptom above
111
Urgent but not life-threatening, or you're not sure — call or visit 111.nhs.uk, 24/7
Your team
Use the department phone in Your care details above