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Hi everyone! I am fairly new here so there may already be a topic about this. I am 19 years old and I am a piano major. I went to see Sheila Paige(an awesome physical therapist for piano) and she said that I have the beginnings of trigger finger. I am some other back problems and such but I think those are finally getting resolved. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any info or personal experiences they could share about trigger finger. Thanks so much!

Trigger finger is usually caused by some kind of thickening, nodule or cyst on a tendon, causing it to catch on one of the pulleys surrounding the fingers. I've had tendon cysts, though, due to location, it was not causing triggering. I've had a surgery on each hand for this problem. It does take some time after surgery for things to feel close to normal. I didn't play much after my first surgery and now I feel like there has been some decrease in hand stretch. I'm trying to keep that from happening from my second surgery (February).
Sometimes some steroid injections can be performed for trigger finger. Sometimes surgery can be performed to release the pulley. I'd suggest seeing a good hand surgeon.

Ice. Steroid injections. Stretching for all the muscles between your spine and that finger.

I have had hand surgery once, for a different problem. It was ages before I could open jars for myself. The last time I had knee surgery, the surgeon injected my trigger finger with steroids while I was under. (Steroid injections anywhere are intensely painful.) It took a while (days) for the swelling to go down post-op, and that was a bummer because I'd counted on being able to knit while I was laid up and I couldn't.

Some health care professionals will tell you that you can only get two injections in a tendon before you need surgery; my doctor said it depends on the weight-bearing nature of the joint. He'll do injections forever (figuratively speaking) on fingers; different on feet.

Mine comes and goes, esp. with overwork of my hand. Wear padded gloves for anything that vibrates, like lawnmowing. I also found that hand-exercise gadgets (wire springy things) make it much worse due to overstrain. When it's bad, ice can help calm it down, and then it will be ok for a while.

Mostly, though, I'm now a proponent of the theries that say everything's connected, and problems that originate in the core may manifest in the perimeter. Stretching and Rolfing and other deep tissue work may not help the immediate nodule problem at all, but they can help prevent it getting worse or coming back after treatment. It's really easy to ignore tension around your neck and upper back and think it has nothing to do with your hands.

good luck.