Corticosteroid Injection With and Without Local Anesthetic for the Treatment of Trigger Finger: A Randomized Clinical...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Pain Management

Background:

• Trigger finger, a common condition, often requires corticosteroid injections for symptom relief.
• The use of lidocaine in conjunction with corticosteroids for trigger finger injections is standard practice, but its necessity regarding pain and efficacy is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the pain experienced during and after corticosteroid injections for trigger finger, with or without lidocaine.
• To evaluate the efficacy of corticosteroid injections alone versus combined with lidocaine in resolving trigger finger symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial involving 76 patients diagnosed with trigger finger.
• Patients received either a betamethasone injection alone or betamethasone with lidocaine.
• Pain was assessed using a numerical rating scale at multiple time points, and symptom resolution was evaluated at 6 weeks.

Main Results:

• Injections with lidocaine resulted in significantly lower pain scores during administration and at 1 hour post-injection compared to betamethasone alone.
• No statistically significant differences in pain were observed at 6 hours or 2 days post-injection.
• The failure rate for resolving trigger finger symptoms at 6 weeks was similar between the two groups (21% vs 18%).

Conclusions:

• While lidocaine reduces immediate pain associated with corticosteroid injections for trigger finger, this difference may not be clinically significant.
• Corticosteroid injections alone are as effective as those combined with lidocaine in achieving long-term symptom resolution for trigger finger.