Locking Up Of My Fingers

[longstebe]

Over the last few weeks my pinky and the next finger to it have started to lock up especially in the

mornings. I'm 34 years old and reasonably healthy. I can unlock them without using my other hand.

It's not painful. I can assume things, but that would be stupid of me because I'm no doctor.

Anyone know of this or had the same symptons?

Oh, it's in my right hand only but can feel the left is going to start soon. Sounds stupid I know.

[kurnell]

I wake up with my hands in the claw position the morning after a night on the razz and have to un-prise them using my teeth.

[mark5335]

My fingers lock up sometimes which I considered to be muscular cramps, as it usually happens after considerable exercise, resulting in persperation and dehydration. I drink a bottle of Lipovitan-D and the cramping eventually subsides.

[billd766]

You may have finger lock.

It is fairly common though painful at times and you ought to see a doctor.

I am 65 and in my case the ring finger on each hand hurts when I close my hand or try to grip things.

What happens to me sometimes is that the finger will close over and "lock" so that when my hand opens again that finger stays where it is (and hurts) until I move it slightly when it unlocks much like the trigger of a gun when it fires, hence finger lock.

I went to Chulalongkorn hospital in BKK (I live 400km away upcountry) as I was told that they are very good though a public hospital.

It is true that they are overworked but the doctor there spoke English and told me that if I took a course of

1 tablet of Miracid 20 before breakfast and 1 x Voltaren SR 75 plus 2 x Tylenol 500 after breakfast every 6 hours if necessary of the last 2 as pain killers it would slowly get better.

If not I will have to get a steroid injection and if that does not work then a small operation.

I also squeeze a sponge rubber ball about 100 times an hour in each hand which helps.

My hands are slowly getting better and I only take 1 set of pills per day now.

I hope that helps.

[PeaceBlondie]

The far 2 fingers are controlled by the ulnar nerve. If that nerve is pinched or damaged, you lose fine finger movement and sensation. You can get it diagnosed in the best govt. and best private hospitals here if they have the equipment and specialist.

[SeanMoran]

This is probably not relevant, but do you ride a motorcycle? I get this in both hands after a long ride, for quite a few days afterwards. I have a manual clutch so the left and right hands get used fairly equally. The vibrations seem to cause it, and the little fingers suffer the most.

Probably not relevant, but just in case it might be something as simple as that.

I hope you find the cause and get over it soon.

[FBN]

Locking fingers may be due to a small nodule that develops in the tendon that flexes the finger. The tendon runs through a tight sheath at the base of the finger and if the tendon thickens, it gets stuck and "locks up"; search "Trigger Finger".

More often the middle finger but seldom the little finger. The ulnar nerve supplies sensation to the little finger and half of the ring but does not supply the flexor muscles of the fingers.

This condition may well be brought on by bike or cycling activities.

Treatment is usually rest and splinting for a while to allow the swelling in the tendon to subside with some NSAID medication or steroid infiltration as the next step and lastly, if the finger really snaps when opening, a small operation to cut the tendon sheath. Can take years to progress to a stage where this is needed.

[Slaps]

What about dehydration?

So easy not to drink enough

[longstebe]

The motor-cy gets used everyday. I must clock up 100 kms everytime. I will give it a rest on the bike to see

what happens.

Thanks for the replies guys.

[billd766]

This is probably not relevant, but do you ride a motorcycle? I get this in both hands after a long ride, for quite a few days afterwards. I have a manual clutch so the left and right hands get used fairly equally. The vibrations seem to cause it, and the little fingers suffer the most.

Probably not relevant, but just in case it might be something as simple as that.

I hope you find the cause and get over it soon.

Yes I do ride a motosai and the doctor at Chulalonkorn mentioned that as well.

But I am not giving up

yet

[SeanMoran]

This is probably not relevant, but do you ride a motorcycle? I get this in both hands after a long ride, for quite a few days afterwards. I have a manual clutch so the left and right hands get used fairly equally. The vibrations seem to cause it, and the little fingers suffer the most.

Probably not relevant, but just in case it might be something as simple as that.

I hope you find the cause and get over it soon.

Yes I do ride a motosai and the doctor at Chulalonkorn mentioned that as well.

But I am not giving up

yet

Fire all o' yer guns at once and,

Explode into spa-i-ace...

[ReeBkk]

It could be one of two things: Dupuytren’s Contracture also known as Morbus Dupuytrenm or Trigger Finger (as already mentioned).

Symptoms for both are quite similar, so it could be quite difficult to diagnose without a trip to an Orthopedic specialist.

Trigger finger is a type of stenosing tenosynovitis in which the sheath around a tendon in a thumb or finger becomes swollen, or a nodule forms on the tendon. It is called trigger finger because when the finger unlocks, it pops back suddenly, as if releasing a trigger on a gun. Symptoms include:

• The affected digits may become painful to straighten once bent, and may make a soft crackling sound when moved.
  
• More than one finger may be affected at a time, though it usually affects the thumb, middle, or ring finger.
  
• Trigger finger is usually more pronounced in the morning, or while gripping an object firmly.
  

Dupuytren’s Contracture is a fixed flexion contracture of the hand where the fingers bend towards the palm and cannot be fully extended (straightened). Symptoms include:

• The tough connective tissue within one’s hand becomes abnormally thick, which can cause the fingers to curl, and can result in impaired function of the fingers, especially the small and ring fingers.
  
• Gradual onset, often beginning as a tender lump in the palm.
  
• Over time, pain associated with the condition tends to go away, but tough bands of tissue may develop.
  

Hope that helps.

[Robroy]

My ankles & shins lock in hot weather. It's basically a cramp from loss of fluids & salts I think. I drink more water & it goes away.

This could be the same.

But that's a guess. If it really worries you, obviously see a doctor.