Ganglion cysts · Tarzana · Los Angeles

Trigger Finger Treatment in Los Angeles

Move Your Hand Freely Again

At Foundation Hand Surgery Institute, our board-certified orthopedic surgeons work exclusively on the hand and upper extremity. Dr. Rob Viswanath and Dr. Ryan Tantone treat trigger finger for patients across Los Angeles, from splinting and injections to a precise surgical release when that is the right call.

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Doctor examining a patient's hand for trigger finger.

Within the hour

Usually back in the waiting room

A week or two

Typical relief from an injection

Four to six

Weeks to full grip strength

When a Trigger Finger Starts Controlling Your Hand

It usually starts small. A finger that catches when you make a fist, a click you feel more than hear, a tender knot at the base of the thumb or ring finger.

Mornings are the worst. You wake up with a finger curled shut and have to pry it open with your other hand, and the ache that follows sticks around long after the finger pops free.

Left alone, catching turns into locking. The tendon sheath thickens, the nodule grows, and the finger starts to sit bent no matter how much you stretch it.

Daily life quietly shrinks around that one finger. Gripping a steering wheel, opening a jar, holding a pen, or lifting a child all turn into negotiations, and a joint that stays stuck long enough can stiffen permanently.

The treatment

What to Expect From Professional Trigger Finger Treatment

Trigger finger, or stenosing tenosynovitis, happens when the flexor tendon can no longer glide smoothly through the pulley that holds it against the bone. Treatment is aimed at restoring that glide, not just quieting the pain.

Most patients come to us after months of pushing through it. Once the tendon moves freely again, the change is immediate and obvious.

A focused exam of the affected digit

Plus the rest of the hand, since triggering often travels between fingers.

A clear explanation

Of which pulley is involved and why it is catching.

Nonsurgical options first in most cases

Including activity changes, night splinting, and corticosteroid injection.

Here is what care with us looks like:

Wide awake release surgery under local anesthesia

When injections stop working.

A recovery plan

Built around your job, your dominant hand, and how you actually use it.

Our surgeons handle these cases week in and week out

That volume matters for a procedure where millimeters separate a clean release from a nerve you never want to touch.

Man struggling to open a pickle jar due to trigger finger

Candidacy

Who Is a Good Candidate for Trigger Finger Release?

You may be a strong candidate if any of these sound familiar:

A finger or thumb that clicks, catches, or locks in a bent position
A painful bump you can feel in the palm at the base of the finger
Stiffness that peaks in the morning and eases through the day
Symptoms that returned after one or two steroid injections
Diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or thyroid disease, all of which raise your risk and make recurrence more likely
Work or hobbies with repetitive gripping, such as construction, dentistry, music, or gardening

Patients with a finger already locked shut deserve a prompt evaluation. Waiting on a fixed contracture makes the joint harder to straighten later, even after the tendon is freed.

Surgeon performing trigger finger surgery in operating room.

What to expect

Your Path Back to a Smooth, Quiet Grip

Step 01

Mapping the Catch

We watch your hand move, feel for the nodule, and pinpoint exactly where the tendon is snagging. You will leave knowing what is happening inside your palm.

Step 02

Ruling Out the Look-Alikes

Dupuytren's contracture, hand arthritis, and nerve compression can mimic triggering. Our subspecialty training keeps a treatable pulley problem from being mistaken for something else.

Step 03

Trying the Simplest Fix First

A corticosteroid injection resolves symptoms for many patients, often within a week or two. Splinting and grip modifications support that result.

Step 04

A Small, Precise Release

When injections fall short, we open the A1 pulley through a short incision under local anesthesia. You are awake, comfortable, and usually back in the waiting room within the hour.

Step 05

Getting Motion Back Fast

Gentle finger movement starts the same day. We guide you through the first weeks so scar tissue never becomes the next problem.

Your Questions Answered

FAQs About Trigger Finger Treatment in LA

Most patients move the finger the same day and return to desk work within a few days. Stitches come out around ten to fourteen days. Full grip strength for heavy or repetitive labor typically returns in four to six weeks. We tailor that timeline to your job and your dominant hand.
Injections resolve symptoms long term for many patients, especially when treated early and when only one finger is involved. Relief can be permanent, though triggering returns for some, particularly patients with diabetes or multiple affected digits. If a second injection fails, surgical release becomes the more reliable path forward.
The procedure itself is not. We numb the palm with local anesthetic, so you feel pressure rather than pain. Afterward, most patients manage with over-the-counter medication for a day or two. Soreness in the palm at the incision site is normal and fades steadily over two to three weeks.
Mild, early cases occasionally settle with rest and splinting alone. Once the finger locks regularly or you need your other hand to straighten it, spontaneous recovery is unlikely. Continuing to push through it risks a fixed bend at the middle joint, which is far harder to correct later.
Yes. Our office sits in Tarzana at 5525 Etiwanda Avenue, and we regularly see patients from the San Fernando Valley, West Valley, and the West LA area. Many people drive in for a same-week evaluation, and most trigger finger care is completed right here in our office.
The A1 pulley sits close to the digital nerves and arteries. Surgeons who operate on the hand exclusively perform this release constantly, which means faster procedures, cleaner results, and better judgment about when surgery is genuinely warranted versus when an injection will do.

What Our Customers Say

Stop Working Around That Finger

Every week you spend adapting your grip is a week the joint gets a little stiffer, and the fix gets a little more involved. A finger that catches today can be a finger that will not straighten by winter.

Our schedule is now open to new patients, with offices conveniently located in the San Fernando Valley, West Valley, and West LA. Call 818-578-3152 or request an appointment online, and let's find out how quickly your hand can work like your hand again.

Call 818-578-3152 Request an appointment

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