Trigger Finger
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Natural Remedies for Trigger Finger (Stenosing Tenosynovitis)

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Acupuncture
Posted by Vincent (Vancouver, Bc) on 12/09/2015
 ★★★★★

I came down with trigger finger two months ago. It came and went. Massaging the swollen node did not help. I had shock wave treatment which did not work either. Then I read about acupuncture. I went to see my accupunturist. Immediately after he withdrew the needles, I felt I got 90% of my strength of my fingers back but the knuckles were still sore. I bang aided the knuckles that night to restrict movement. I woke to find my fingers were 90% better over all. I shall go for another session in a week.

Surgery
Posted by Dan (Scottsdale, Arizona) on 08/20/2015
 ★☆☆☆☆

My advice is DO NOT GET SURGERY. This was the biggest mistake of my life as my left hand is my only usable hand. They don't tell you of the possible serious ramifications afterwards. It's been almost 3 months now and although the trigger finger I believe has subsided, the pain has increased and now I have different pain issue's and swelling that hampers it's use. I was better off with the trigger finger. Now my other finger on the opposite hand is beginning the same symptoms. But I can tell you for sure, no more trigger finger surgeries for me. My advice folks, do your research before committing to surgery.

DMSO and MOM
Posted by Fran (North Carolina, US) on 06/29/2014
 ★★★★★

DMSO mixed with Milk of Magnesia put on tendons of fingers works fast. Mix about 15 drops of dmso and 5 drops MOM in a glass cup. The use cotton ball to apply to area (s), include wrist and back of hand. In less than 5 minutes, the pain was gone. I also drank 2 tbsp of MOM to get magnesium internally. I hope it helps someone else.

DMSO
Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 03/25/2014
 ★★★★★

Re the finger pain from trigger finger.

I've had two episodes with cyst formation in joint area at base of hand and finger and I diluted DMSO fifty-fifty with purified water (May have used colloidal silver)...and wrapped with white paper towel. Left as a poultice for thirty minutes. Cyst (or whatever it was disappeared). Also have used DMSO (capful) many times over twenty years if hands begin to get "tight" and a bit hard to grip. Works every time.

I do this capful on fingers and joints once every three or four months now just as precaution.

Soursop Tea
Posted by Linda Davies (Nigeria ) on 11/10/2017

Used the dried leaves of the sour sop tree. 15 leaves boiled in three cups of water till it reduces to one. Twice a day for a month.

Fish Oil, Ball Exercise
Posted by Dora (Houston, Texas) on 07/05/2012
 ★★★★★

Months ago had Trigger Finger problem in my right thumb. I followed Ted's remedies from Earth Clinic and other remedies from the same website. I really improved when I started taking Fish oil and sometimes Cod liver oil, as well as eating more salmon, fish, fruits, and vegetables, and tried not to do much work with that hand with the injured thumb. Also, the exercises with a small ball that I got at the Academy store did help me. The ball is similar to the ones used to release stress. My thumb is a 90% better since the problem started. Now can move it very well..

I do not recommend surgery, found out that surgery is not the best option. I encourage you to be patient.

I thank God for you all who shared the information on the Trigger finger at Earth Clinic.

Avoid Citrus
Posted by Judie (Utica, Mi) on 02/22/2010
 ★★★★★

I have been having a problem this winter from Trigger finger & pain. I wondered one day if it was the orange I was having each evening to try & stay out of junk food. Your post confimred I am not the only one. I never could take Vit.C either until I came across a type that is made from Sago palm. I used to work in a health food store & many people have the same sensitivity as you & I. Thanks again

Lecithin
Posted by Patricia (Elmont, New York) on 01/27/2009 8 posts
 ★★★★★

Dear Ted, I am so thrilled on the response for lecithin. I have been taking two T of lecithin each morning and evining mixed in eight ounces of water. The results for trigger finger have been impressive. I had this affliction for over a year now and no matter what I tried it was anathema. Since I began the lecithin the snapping on my ring finger is 95 percent healed. I am positive that it must have been the tap water and eating food cooked in aluminum ware. I had to eat at restaurants for a couple of months since my house was in the proccess of renovations. I have now cleaned up my act and I do all the cooking at home. I also bring my brown bag of salads and casseroles to work. I also began adding ground up chia seeds to all my foods on Jan 24 2009 and I have seen a tremendous change in my overall health.

I am grateful to earthclinic and you for all the wonderful remedies we are sharing. This is sharing agape (love).

Gayle's Bandaid Method
Posted by Katie (San Clemente, California) on 09/08/2011
 ★★★★★

I have been doing this for about 1 week and my finger feel much better. I have been using 2 inch blue tape and only change it a few times a day due to water.

Pyridoxal 5 Phosphate (P5P)
Posted by Marilyn (Nebraska) on 09/22/2024

https://youtu.be/HGLlIgOak24?si=tQQD4s2mvEEpJvt7

Dr. Jonathan Wright recommendation of P5P (Vit B6) for Trigger Finger.

https://youtu.be/HGLlIgOak24?si=rbmOIBs9IT32hsyM

Dr. Jonathan Wright talking about Dr. John Ellis's 3 books on Vit. B6.

Bromelain
Posted by Vkelerful (Texas) on 10/19/2018
 ★★★★★

I have had much success with bromalein for my trigger finger which I took for a year...Trying now to supplement with pineapple juice now to sustain. Haven't done that enough yet....but a trigger maybe once a week isn't bad. Trying to boost the juice. How much does one need? What exercises?

Bromelain
Posted by Shirley (Toronto, Canada) on 02/04/2025

Hello there. You talked about supplementing with pineapple juice to get bromelain. It's unlikely that there will be a lot in the juice. The part of the pineapple that is rich in bromelain is the core. Slice it thinly and eat it that way. It's good fiber as well.

Avoid Citrus
Posted by Cathy (Elmhurst) on 01/17/2021
 ★★★★★

Hi, I'm so glad I saw your note. I have trigger finger on and off lately, I'm 53 and it started a couple years ago. I haven't had trigger finger in a long time but it came back today and I had 2 small oranges yesterday, for the first time in weeks. Thanks so much, I would have never made the connection myself.

Oregano Oil, Sesame Oil
Posted by Joyce (South Carolina) on 02/07/2016

I wanted to respond to this because I was the one that used the oregano oil and sesame oil. Since the recovery of the trigger finger, I try to keep an alkalinizing diet too and it is not uncommon for me to take MSM. rheumatoid arthritis runs in the family and I start feeling my joints start to hurt. When I direct my diet towards alkalinizing and take good oils and MSM...the joint pain goes away.

Bromelain
Posted by Vicky (Texas) on 09/02/2015
 ★★★★★

I took the suggestion to try bromelain for my trigger finger. It has been 2 months. I am very pleased and the healing continues. I ran out about 10 days ago and my finger locked for the first time in weeks....only once. The flexibility and stiffness and inflammation are much improved. It takes a little time...but it works.

Surgery
Posted by Anon (Anon) on 09/21/2017

Yes, surgery does work each time for the current problem . My spouse has had multiple fingers operated on and had the ulnar nerve from the elbow moved over. Now many years later those same fingers are starting to trigger again. He won't try any natural cures to get to the root of the problem, so now he will need more surgery. As his wife, I hate to see him keep getting cut instead of looking for the cause of the problem. I call this the tip of the iceberg and it is stressful that the medical community is scratching the surface and not finding any permanent solutions. I guess it makes a lot of jobs for the medical community.

Sesame Oil
Posted by Joyce (Easley, Sc) on 07/21/2014
 ★★★★★

I started getting the pain and 'clicking' in my thumb 2 years ago. Doctor recommended surgery.

My thumb was to the point that I could no longer move it without excruciating pain.

I started taking a couple of teaspoons of sesame oil each day orally for another issue I was battling and started noticing the pain going away on my thumb and getting mobility back. It felt 100% cured. A few weeks ago, it started to stiffen again, I took the sesame oil again, and it stopped again. Never read about this, it just happened.

P.S.

I was taking some oral oregano also at the time, but not for as long as the sesame, but wanted to mention in case it had helped a little also.

Magnesium
Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 10/04/2013

Hello Toourlady89;

Thank you so much for your break down of various magnesiums. You define four of them; the one I take orally is Mag citrate. I have another that is Mag carbonate. Epsom Salts is Mag sulfate. You discuss the last one as a laxative but I use that for Mag/Salts baths too. Is that your understanding? That one is the best to use for baths... Sulfate (Epsom salts) and the Mag Oil (so called) best for topical application is Mag chloride, and you mention chelated Mag Glycinate for oral and say to avoid the one in stores which you say is Mag Oxide.

OK. Now is Mag Oxide Epsom salts? Isn't that Mag Sulfate which is Epsom salts? That's what's in the stores or do you equate Oxide with Sulfate.

And is the kind you orally take .... Glycinate... Is that close to Mag Citrate?

Your break out helped. I do need to get clarified some more... Not your fault... Mine. I need a list; something like:

Mag a .... does x

Mag b .....does y

Mag c .... Does z

Mag d .... What ever you do don't take Mag d, cause it's been known to cause third generation mice to lose their tails!!!!

I've thought that Mag in its various forms are basically the same thing; formulated or compounded differently but with the same chemical effect. And the point is if you take or ingest in any way (baths with Sulfate or swallow in citrate) you're still getting the magnesium.

If someone would disabuse me of the above idea; is that previous paragraph a misconception?

It's just that we see in the discussions of Magnesium particular Mags are mentioned and I'm always wondering if they are actually specialty or are they in essence fungible? (I mean interchangable and really the same for all practical purposes.)

Thanks for helping,

Dave

(You know I really should be more careful; inserting bits of humor ... Next thing you know... All over social media and suddenly on the national news: Flash: Magnesium causes tail loss... Take with caution... FDA begins investigation.)

Bromelain
Posted by Suzanne (Abbotsford) on 08/05/2020

Trying massaging with magnesium oil. That will not give you diarrhea.

Foods to Avoid
Posted by William (Colorado Springs, Colorado Usa) on 05/28/2013

Margaret, with regard to the ACV I have two sharings: first, in spite of the efficacy of ACV, Blood Type A people do not do well on Vinegar, including ACV [see Eat Right for Your Type by D'Adamo].

However, w/ regard to acidity please remember that its not the acidity of what goes into the body but what happens when the body processes it [burns, oxidizes, or whatever you wish to call it] and the sah it deposits. Many acidic things like Lemons create strong alkalinity, thus negating acidity.

Finally, many parasites [Candida for example] generate acid systems.

Best, Nutricon Wm, Colorado

Bromelain
Posted by Hurt In Space (Nicosia, Cyprus) on 11/21/2012
 ★★★★★

Bromelain IS THE CURE for trigger finger. I have had considerable pain in my left thumb for over a year, could not bend it at all, and was postponing an opperation, since none of the numerous steroid pills I was given was of any help. I read about Bromelain, and took 3 pills a day, for about one month, almost completely cured my finger, no pain, I can almost bend fully. I will keep taking it.

Ice
Posted by Susan (Greenfield, Ma, Usa) on 06/12/2012
 ★★★★★

I cured a middle finger trigger by limiting movement of the digit, icing for 10 - 15 minutes several times a day and doing deep massage of the muscles in the forearm that work the fingers. When I focused on the muscles for the middle finger they were very tight and painful, perhaps from spasm. I broke the spasm with pressure and massaged the muscle further. In a month or two pain, swelling and locking were gone in this instance. I am careful now to use a padded bicycling glove to protect the tendons in the palm when I garden, rake and do repairs at my house. I am careful to not make repetitive grips that tax the fingers.

General Feedback
Posted by Tricia (New York) on 09/16/2018 8 posts
 ★★★★★

I went to a chiropractor in Astoria NY. The ganglion cyst was on my right hand between the wrist and the hand. All he did was massage the wrist part and said he was going to make my body parts talking to each other. In one day the cyst diminished by 50 percent. In one week it was gone. He said there is a disconnect due to overuse of the wrist and hand. Now I am developing trigger finger in my pinky on right hand and finger in left hand next to ring finger. I am taping them and ill start taking magnesium malate and vitamin c. Hopefully I'll see results.

General Feedback
Posted by Tom (Regina, Sk) on 10/05/2010

Pamela:

Have you tried anything from this site's Arthritis section here?:

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/arthritis.html

Not mentioned under that section is Niacinamide, the amide form of Vitamin B3. (I'm assuming it's arthritis you have, since trigger finger is almost never accompanied by many swollen painful knuckle joints! )

Once again, to one of Dr. Pauling's legacy sites:
http://www.orthomolecular.org/

Click on "Search" in the molecule picture there. Type in "Niacinamide Kaufman arthritis" into the search query box.

This first one looks to be the best info and detail:
The Pioneering Work of William Kaufman: Arthritis and ADHD
http://www.orthomolecular.org/library/jom/2003/pdf/2003-v18n01-p029.pdf

From Page 3:
"The (more frequent) 250 mg dose of niacinamide is 40 to 50% more effective in the treatment of arthritis than the (less frequent) 500 mg. Dose. In my 1955 paper (The use of vitamin therapy to reverse certain concomitants of aging. J Amer Geriatric Soc. 3:927-936) I noted that niacinamide (alone or combined with other vitamins) in a thousand patient-years of use has caused no adverse side effects. Please keep in mind niacinamide is a systemic therapeutic agent. It measurably improves joint mobility, muscle strength, decreases fatiguability. It increases maximal muscle working capacity, reduces or completely eliminates arthritic joint pain. Some joints are so injured by the arthritic process that no amount of niacinamide therapy will cause improvement in joint mobility, ...

Interesting tidbit here:
http://www.orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1997/articles/1997-v12n04-p195.shtml

Kaufmann was a very careful observer and showed clearly the significant therapeutic value of niacinamide. But 1949 was not the right year for such reports, for the wonder drug, cortisone, had just been found to rapidly relieve the symptoms of arthritis. Dr. Hench, who had done the basic work, received a Nobel prize and Merck and Company held the patents. There was a tremendous display of publicity about these wonder drugs and they became the standard for all the arthritides. The fact that cortisones do not help very much was discovered later in England when they were compared with aspirin in the first ever double blind experiments. Aspirin proved equally as effective. Also cortisone and ACTH made many patients psychotic. Dr. Kaufman's 1949 published book 'The Common Form of Joint Dysfunction' is even now still available in places on the net.

http://www.doctoryourself.com/JOM1.html

DOSAGE:Niacinamide is water soluble and has a half-life of 90 minutes I. E. The amount left unmetabolized in the body drops in half every 90 minutes. This explains the divided doses. That daily dosage is divided into equal doses for ingestion every 2-3 waking hours waking.

DOSAGE:
http://www.doctoryourself.com/kaufman5.html

Usually adequate in moderate joint dysfunction was the continuous ingestion of 150 mg niacinamide administered every 3 hours for 6 daily doses (900 mg/24 hours). In extremely severe and severe grades of joint dysfunction, 100-150 mg niacinamide were prescribed every hour (1500-2250 mg/24 hours), every hour and a half (1110-1650 mg./24 hours), or every two hours (800-1200 mg/24 hours), depending on the severity of the joint dysfunction, the more frequent schedule being used in more severe cases (97) (51). It has been found in the treatment of joint dysfunction that the manner in which the daily dosage of niacinamide is divided has an important bearing on the the therapeutic results achieved; e. G. , 300 mg niacinamide given three times daily (900 mg/24 hours) is inferior in its therapeutic action to 150 mg niacinamide administered every 3 hours for 6 daily doses (900 mg/24 hours).

Acupuncture
Posted by battle1320 (Los Angeles, CA) on 07/09/2009
 ★★★★☆

TRIGGER FINGER - PINKY

I just came across this website and I am glad to read that there are people out there exploring other options than injections and surgery. I just got TF about a week ago from playing golf. My doctor thinks that playing golf (strong grip/hand position) might have triggered the TF but I believe it was years of typing on the laptop's keyboard.

It is definitely annoying feeling the clicking in my pinky everytime i grab something with any pressure. Nonetheless, I completed one session of acupuncture and the pain has subsided quite a bit. The clicking is still there but with less pain.

So far, its been about a week w/o any golf and looking forward to another acupuncture treatment.

Gayle's Bandaid Method
Posted by Gayle Judice (Lafayette, Louisiana) on 08/06/2008
 ★★★★★

Bandaids cured my trigger finger. I kept a bandaid wrapped where my thumb bends, keeping it straight and unable to bend for (2 to 3) months and I was cured. I believe trigger finger flares up by using the flex motion too much and letting it heal and not being used (such as carpal tunnell) lets the joint relax.

Gayle's Bandaid Method
Posted by Nancy (Mc Kenzie Bridge, Or) on 05/18/2011
 ★★★★★

I agree with Gayle's bandaid method. I wore a splint on my finger for a long time to keep it from bending and it has cured my trigger finger in the past. When I have not been able to wear it though because it got in the way, I noticed a significant increase in the swelling and pain when my finger was able to bend. Gayle's idea of a bandaid is much better than a splint because it is a lot less cumbersome and can virtually be worn at all times.

Gayle's Bandaid Method
Posted by Lisa (New York Ny) on 03/24/2014

Well here we go again. I found my 2012 post about trigger of the thumb I did finally go for the cortisone shot and it worked like a dream no new problems except now it is in the third finger from too much mouse and tool gripping (floral design) lots of pain more afraid of a shot there..trying the tape method.. dehydration probably causes all of these problems.. I am trying B-6, taping with blue tape splint at night, more water. I am grateful for all the posts here because each one is helpful thank you Earth Clinic anything to avoid surgery and shots but the cortisone shot at the base of the thumb really did the trick.. this is so common and painful my diet is even better than ever but something caused this..wonder if it's too much calcium? By the way the very best magnesium imo is Derma-Mag a topical liquid form that is absorbed thru the skin Highly recommended..These fish oils have vitamin E (soybean oil) as a preservative and very very allergic and dont want hormone disrupters which soy is

Pyridoxal 5 Phosphate (P5P)
Posted by Pep (Boston, MA) on 07/26/2024
 ★★★★★

Trigger Finger, Cracking Knees, and Plantar Fasciitis

I started taking P5P 50 mg once a day, it's been 3 weeks. I have noticed pain relief from my ring trigger finger and plantar fasciitis. I can slowly make a fist again and started walking on the treadmill as well. I also had a lot of cracking in my knees. That has greatly reduced. After reading this article, I will start taking the P5P 3x's/day. Thank you for this great website.

Ice
Posted by Cheryl (Philadelphia ) on 11/20/2016
 ★★★★★

For trigger finger, try holding ice on it to relieve the inflammation, that worked for me.


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