A Natural Approach To Health

Living With Trigger Finger

Trigger finger is a painful condition causing your fingers or thumb to catch or lock when bent.

Trigger finger happens when tendons in your finger or thumb become inflamed.

Tendons are tough bands of tissue connecting muscles and bones.

Together, the tendons and muscles in your hands and arms bend and straighten your fingers and thumbs.

A tendon usually glides easily through the tissue covering it because of a lubricating membrane surrounding your joint called the synovium.

Sometimes a tendon may become inflamed and swollen.

When this happens, bending your finger or thumb can pull the inflamed tendon through a narrowed tendon sheath, making it snap or pop.

Trigger finger can be caused by a repeated movement or forceful use of your finger or thumb.

Rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and diabetes also can cause trigger finger.

So can grasping something, like a power tool, with a firm grip for a long time.

Farmers, industrial workers, and musicians often get trigger finger because they repeat finger and thumb movements a lot.

Even smokers can get trigger thumb from repeated use of a lighter, for example.

Trigger finger is more common in women than men and tends to happen most often in people who are 40-60 years old.

One of the first symptoms of trigger finger is soreness at the base of your finger or thumb.

The most common symptom is a painful clicking or snapping when bending or straightening your finger.

This catching sensation tends to get worse after resting your finger or thumb and loosens up with movement.

In some cases, your finger or thumb locks in a bent or straight position as the condition gets worse and must be gently straightened with your other hand.

The first step in treatment is to rest your finger or thumb.

You may put a splint on your hand to keep your joint from moving.

To deal with trigger finger it’s helpful to:

*Drink 6-8 cups of purified water every day to hydrate  your cells.

*Discover and avoid triggers.

*Exercise regularly, but start slow.

*Breathe deeply to oxygenate cells.

*Alfalfa is extremely helpful for inflammation; take throughout the day; try as a tea.

*EFAs (Omega 3, flaxseed oil, fish oil) help lubricate joints and decrease inflammation.

*Avoid nightshade vegetables, like peppers, tomato, eggplant, and potato.

*Try Epsom salt baths.

*Consider hydrotherapy.

*Try hot castor oil packs (apply white cotton dipped in warmed castor oil, cover with plastic wrap, cover with heating pad if desired for up to 2 hours).

*Maintain a healthy weight.

*Test for heavy metal toxicity.

*Try Kombucha Tea.

*Ensure proper footwear.

*Fresh, raw pineapple and papaya contain bromelain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme.

*Consider liver support and/or a liver cleanse.

*Avoid MSG and artificial sweeteners because they are neurotoxins.

*EZ-Gest between meals may be helpful to ease inflammation.

*Have chiropractic or osteopathic evaluation/treatment.

Recommendations:

It’s essential to use:  Vita-Lea, Protein, Pain Relief Complex, Joint Health Complex, Alfalfa, B-Complex, OmegaGuard, Calcium/Magnesium.

It’s important to use:  Vitamin D, Vivix, Optiflora, Vitamin C, VitalMag, Zinc, CarotoMax and/or FlavoMax.

It’s beneficial to use:  Stress Relief Complex, Gentle Sleep Complex, DTX, Herb-Lax, EZ-Gest (between meals), Joint and Muscle Pain Cream, Performance (maintain electrolytes).

Please comment below, like, retweet, and share with your friends!

email:  lenay@dickandlenay.com

PS:  If you have any questions about trigger finger, and would like to know how supplements can help, give us a call at 715-431-0657.  We’re here to help.