Trigger finger is a condition of the tendons in your hand where it is difficult to bend one or more of your fingers. In most cases this is not a serious health condition, but more of a nuisance.
There are other treatments you can try before choosing surgery. These include getting some rest, a steroid injection or anti-inflammatory drugs.
Recovery from the surgery can take weeks and there is always a risk of infection, pain or nerve damage. Therefore, surgery should only be considered if all of the above treatments fail. For more information on other treatment methods please click here to look at the criteria for Trigger Finger Release surgery.
To make sure that you get the best treatment for your condition your GP, hospital consultant or nurse specialist will discuss the different treatment options with you.
Some operations or treatments will only be recommended for some patients and your doctor will assess whether or not you meet the clinical conditions or criteria. Please click here to look at the criteria for Trigger Finger Release.
If you meet the criteria then this will be the best treatment option for you and the procedure will be arranged.
If you don’t meet the criteria then you will be offered the most effective treatment for your particular condition.
If you don’t qualify for the treatment, but your doctor or nurse thinks that there are exceptional clinical circumstances in your case then they may submit an Individual Funding Request (IFR) to an independent panel for consideration.
The IFR panel meets weekly and aims to consider cases within 14days. The panel’s decision will be communicated to you by letter if you are an adult or by letter to your GP if you are the guardian of a child applying for funding.
If your IFR application is rejected (meaning that your surgery will not be funded by the NHS), then you or your GP has the right to appeal to the IFR panel against this decision within 90days. The panel is independent to your local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
The Get Fit First policy also applies to this intervention. For further information please see the Get Fit First page.
To make sure that you get the best treatment for your condition your GP, MSK practitioner, hospital consultant or nurse specialist will discuss the different treatment options with you.
Some operations or treatments will only be recommended for some patients. All patients with this condition will be referred to the Community musculoskeletal service (MSK) for clinical triage, assessment and treatment.
The MSK service will assess your condition to identify the best treatment plan for you.
The MSK service will also assess whether or not you meet the clinical conditions or criteria. Please click here to look at the criteria for a knee replacement.
If you don’t qualify for the treatment, but your doctor or nurse thinks that there are exceptional clinical circumstances in your case then they may submit an Individual Funding Request (IFR) to an independent panel for consideration.
The IFR panel meets weekly and aims to consider cases within 14days. The panel’s decision will be communicated to you by letter if you are an adult or by letter to your GP if you are the guardian of a child applying for funding.
If your IFR application is rejected (meaning that your surgery will not be funded by the NHS), then you or your GP has the right to appeal to the IFR panel against this decision within 90days. The panel is independent to your local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).