Pediatric Trigger Thumb (S2:E20)

Today we discuss pediatric trigger thumb (also know as Trigger Finger, Flexor Tenosynovitis, or Stenosing Tenosynovitis) with Sarah Sibbel, MD. Dr. Sibbel is the Director of the Pediatric Hand and Upper Extremity Program and Surgical Director of the Brachial Plexus Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado and Assistant Professor of Orthopedics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

 In this episode: 

• Defining pediatric trigger thumb and the path of physiology
• Hypothesis of why trigger thumb occurs in children and adults
• Diagnosing trigger thumb in primary care
• Helpful imaging to obtain
• Operative and non-operative treatment plans and their associated risks
• The success rate of surgery as a treatment
• Time optimal period between observation and surgery for trigger thumb
• How trigger thumb impacts a child’s day-to-day life
• Role for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents in trigger thumb treatment
• Follow-up plans for the outpatient setting