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The Effects of Adding Splint Use to Corticosteroid Injection for the Treatment of Trigger Finger: A Randomized Controlled Trial Publisher Pubmed



Tajik H1 ; Shirzad N2 ; Rahimibarghani S3 ; Rezapour B2 ; Nejadhosseinian M4 ; Faezi ST4 ; Fateh HR3
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Department of Rehabilitation, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Rheumatology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

Source: Musculoskeletal Care Published:2022


Abstract

Background: Trigger finger is the most common flexor tendinopathy affecting the general population. We evaluated the effects of adding a static metacarpophalangeal joint splint to corticosteroid injection for the management of trigger finger in the short term. Methods: We carried out a randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms in Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at a university hospital. We randomly allocated 60 participants (34 women) with trigger fingers other than the thumb to two groups (both n = 30). The mean (SD) age was 41.5 (7.6) years. All participants received a single injection of 40 mg methylprednisolone plus 0.5 ml of lidocaine at the A1 pulley. Patients in the splint group wore a full time static splint for blocking the metacarpophalangeal joint for 3 months. The primary outcome was the Numerical Pain Rating Scale and the secondary outcomes were Boston questionnaire scores for symptom severity and functional status, grip strength, and the stages of stenosing tenosynovitis. We measured the outcomes at baseline, and in 1 and 3 months post-intervention. Results: Both interventions were effective; however, the splint group showed more reductions in pain (p = 0.013) and symptom severity (p = 0.047) and a larger decrease in the stages of tenosynovitis (p = 0.004) after 3 months. There was no significant difference in decreasing functional scores between the groups (p = 0.162). The splint group had a better (but not statistically significant) restoring grip strength (p = 0.056). Conclusion: Wearing of a static metacarpophalangeal joint splint for 3 months following a single injection of corticosteroid increases and stabilises the benefits of the treatment for trigger finger. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.