One of the painful medical disorders that keeps your child’s thumb frozen in a bent or flexed position is a trigger finger. The problem may include an inability of the toddler to straighten their bent thumb.
Between the ages of one and three, children frequently develop trigger fingers or thumbs. A youngster can develop triggered thumbs even if they are healthy and have not been injured.
Children’s National states that “Trigger thumb is caused by an imbalance between the size of the thumb’s flexor tendon and the tendon sheath (the fibrous band over the tendon), which causes problems with the thumb’s gliding action. The larger tendon may lock into place when the sheath is overly tight. This may result in the thumb snapping, clicking, or remaining in a fixed flexed position.
Adults may develop trigger fingers as a result of trauma, injury, or overuse. However, none of these factors or any other prevent children from having this health issue. It can be difficult for orthopedic surgeons to pinpoint the precise reasons for pediatric trigger thumbs. However, there are numerous approaches to identifying and treating this medical problem. Therefore, before consulting a skilled orthopedic surgeon, you must be aware of the key characteristics of the pediatric trigger thumb.
What Should You Know to Successfully Treat Pediatric Trigger Thumb?
Common Signs and Symptoms:
Your child cannot use his other hand to straighten a bent finger that has become stuck when a trigger thumb happens. But keep in mind that the most typical symptoms or signs of paediatric trigger thumb are popping, catching, and clicking sensations the youngster feels when moving the affected thumb. Additionally, you can spot this medical problem by looking for a bulge or nodule near the base of the thumb that is affected.
Diagnosis:
By performing a physical examination and reviewing your child’s medical history, the orthopedic surgeons can determine if your child has a pediatric trigger thumb. Expert orthopedic surgeons always search for dislocated joints or shattered bones while diagnosing this medical problem. They also advise imaging testing to make sure that no other health issues are affecting the finger’s functionality.
Therapy Alternatives:
Trigger thumbs are always treated non-operatively by skilled paediatric orthopedics. They urge parents to use stretching, splinting, and massage to normalize the afflicted thumb. You must frequently practice these non-surgical procedures at home after learning these skills from the orthopaedic surgeon. In the majority of instances, the non-surgical technique takes a few months to correct trigger thumbs.
However, the orthopaedic surgeon will only perform surgery to treat the trigger thumb if all other non-surgical options fail. By removing the A1 pulley, he will perform a surgical operation called a trigger thumb release to relieve the tendon of additional pressure. After the procedure, the trigger thumb will be wrapped for several weeks. After two to three weeks following the trigger thumb release operation, your child will begin using the thumb naturally and regularly.
Each child has a unique set of paediatric trigger thumb symptoms and causes. To get the issue precisely diagnosed and successfully treated, however, you must contact a qualified orthopaedic surgeon very away.
