Trigger Finger

Trigger finger is a condition causing pain and stiffness in the hand, and it affects 2-3% of the general population. People suffering from trigger finger have difficulties during finger movement. The involved finger could be locked in a bent position, which is caused by the size mismatch between the flexor tendons and the annular ligaments (these ligaments are often referred to as "pulleys"). 

To provide better understanding of trigger finger, 3 topics were discussed in my PhD thesis entitled "Biomechanical aspects of trigger finger before and after pulley release surgery", including (1) the estimation of tendon force, (2) the comparison of different surgical methods, and (3) the evaluation of a rehabilitation protocol. 

Sub-project 1: Tendon force estimation

To understand how much force is needed to overcome the locking symptom in trigger finger, I collected force and motion data from the patients, and then used moment equilibriums to estimate the tendon force. This sub-project was the first one providing the tendon force estimations in trigger fingers, which can give clinicians a better idea about what’s going on inside the trigger finger. [published paper]

Sub-project 2: Surgical methods

Pulley release surgery is a common procedure to treat trigger finger, however, what extent of pulley release should be performed, and how that affects the finger function were not clear. Therefore, I tested human cadaveric specimens to quantify the tendon excursion efficiency and tendon moment arms under different pulley release conditions. The results of this sub-project can be served as a reference for clinicians to treat trigger finger with surgery. [published paper]

Sub-project 3: Post-operative rehabilitation

I worked with senior occupational therapists to develop a 4-week post-operative rehabilitation protocol for trigger finger. Participants with trigger finger were arranged into two groups: (1) one group received the post-operative rehabilitation and (2) the other group did not receive treatment after surgery. A 3D motion capture system was used to quantify their finger function, including the fingertip workspace and joint range of motion. The results demonstrated better improved finger function with  post-operative rehabilitation, which can suggest the newly proposed rehabilitation protocol for clinical use. [published paper]

Fun fact - Triggerfinger is a rock band from Belgium