Evidence-based management of adult trigger digits.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Hand Surgery
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Trigger digit, also known as stenosing tenosynovitis, commonly affects adults.
• Non-operative treatments are often the first line of management, but their efficacy varies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an evidence-based guideline for treating adult trigger digits.
• To compare the effectiveness of different treatment modalities for trigger digits.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing literature.
• Evaluation of evidence for corticosteroid injections, splinting, and surgical release.

Main Results:

• Corticosteroid injections show moderate evidence for short-term efficacy but are associated with higher recurrence rates compared to surgery at 6 months.
• Strong evidence supports surgical release as a safe and effective treatment for trigger digits.
• Weak evidence exists for the effectiveness of splinting and other non-operative methods.

Conclusions:

• A single corticosteroid injection can be considered as a first-line treatment for adult trigger digits.
• Percutaneous release is a safe alternative, and surgery should be pursued if injections fail, symptoms recur, or the patient prefers it.