Outcome of corticosteroid injection versus physiotherapy in the treatment of mild trigger fingers

This report has been verified by one or more authors of the original publication.

Seventy-four patients with mild trigger finger were randomized to undergo either physiotherapy or receive corticosteroid injections, to determine which of the two conservative treatments was more effective.At 3 months the success rate was 97.4% for patients treated with corticosteroid injection and 68.6% for patients treated with physiotherapy. The patients with success at 3 months had an additional follow-up at 6 months following treatment to measure recurrence. At the 6 month period assessment results revealed that patients who received corticosteroid injections had better pain scores, higher satisfaction rate, and stronger grip strength. However, patients that received physiotherapy treatment had no recurrence of pain or triggering. Thus physiotherapy may be better at preventing recurrence of trigger finger.