Why does trigger finger cause stiffness only in the morning?
The reason why trigger finger only feels stiff in the morning is because blood flow decreases while you sleep at night. During sleep, there is less movement and parts of the body are pressed against the bed for long periods of time, which reduces blood circulation compared to during the day.
Blood has the role of supplying muscles with nutrients and oxygen, so if blood flow is stagnant, the muscles will become stiff. The reason why your fingers are bent when you wake up in the morning is because the muscles contract and pull on your fingers, causing them to become stiff in that position.
Therefore, because trigger finger is caused by muscle tension, if the conditions for muscle stiffness are met, it can occur not only while sleeping but also during the day. For example, you may develop trigger finger temporarily while using a shovel in your home garden, but it will go away by the end of the day.
Why does the problem only affect the fingers?
We now know that the muscle stiffness that causes trigger finger is the result of reduced blood flow, but the key point is that the problem only affects the fingers. Everyone experiences reduced blood flow at night, and while some people experience pain in their lower back or shoulders, others experience no problems at all.
Why did the symptoms appear in the fingers?
- Have been diagnosed with trigger finger or tendonitis
- Symptoms of trigger finger occur not only in the morning but also during the day
- I had surgery but it's recurring
The key to solving this problem is to understand your body's habits.
Knowing the causes of trigger finger is just as important as finding solutions to morning finger stiffness.
People who suffer from trigger finger have problems with the way they use their body and the movement of their joints. By knowing these, you can identify the cause and see how to solve it efficiently and quickly. Let's take a look at the habits that cause pain in your fingers.
Common traits of people suffering from trigger finger
A common trait among people who suffer from trigger finger is that their shoulders are pushed forward.
The illustration shows whether there is a gap between the shoulders and the floor. Ideally, there should be no gap.
This gap is not only present in trigger finger, but also in people with symptoms such as numbness in the fingers and weakness in the hands.Relaxing the tension so that the gap disappears will improve the condition.
Why is there a gap between your shoulders and the floor? It's because your pectoralis major muscles, which are the muscles in your chest, are stiff and tense.
Reason 1 for stiff pectoral muscles: How you use your arms
There are two main reasons why the pectoralis major muscles become stiff. The first is using your arms unevenly.
In our daily lives, we spend a lot of time with our arms turned inward. When we hold the handlebars of a bicycle or grip a pen or knife, our arms are turned inward.
It is rare that it is facing outwards, except when turning a doorknob or carrying a tray.
The pectoralis major rarely relaxes, and if the muscle is constantly contracted, it will eventually remain short and contracted.
Reason 2 for stiff pectoral muscles: Stiff stomach
The second factor that causes the pectoral muscles to become stiff is stiff abdominal muscles.
The illustration shows the movement of the neck. If you can turn your head up until your face is parallel to the ceiling, then your range of motion is normal.
When this happens, not only can you feel pain in your neck, but you may also be unable to look up properly due to tension in your abdomen, and you may experience pain in your neck and back.
Often the restriction in neck movement is not in the neck but in the abdomen, and people with trigger finger in particular have a stiff abdomen.
This is an easy point to overlook because the cause is the abdomen, which is far from the fingers, but the fact that abdominal tension is actually caused by the shoulder blades in the back also makes it difficult to find a fundamental solution.
The shoulder blades are located in the back. Why does a problem with the shoulder blades cause a stiff stomach?
It is common for the shoulder blades to slip outwards. In an attempt to return the outwardly shifted shoulder blades to their original position, the back muscles contract (eccentric contraction of the rhomboids and trapezius muscles). The serratus anterior muscle also contracts to accommodate the narrower space.
When these back muscles are tense, the movement of the chest frame (rib cage) is restricted. Eventually, the tension in the chest is transmitted to the abdomen via the intercostal nerves that connect the chest to the abdomen.
In addition, the abdominal muscles, affected by chest tension, become stiff and pull down the chest muscles, making it more comfortable to slouch.
In summary, the shoulder blades on the back make the stomach stiff because tension in the back is transmitted through the nerves and affects the stomach.
Treatment record
Let's take a look at the records to see what steps are taken to improve trigger finger.
- Symptoms:
① Trigger finger when I wake up in the morning. Depending on how I use my fingertip, my finger stays bent even during the day. ② Pain in my hip joint and buttocks when I sit down. - Age: 40s
- Work: Long periods of sitting
- What I tried: Chiropractic, stretching
If we were to put the events up to now in chronological order, it would look something like this:
- I have had stiff shoulders since I was 10 years old.
- I started having trigger finger six months ago. I always feel like my ring finger is difficult to move.
- Recently, I've been sitting more and more, and I'm experiencing pain in my hip joints and the sides of my buttocks.
- I tried stretching my whole body but it didn't improve
Various tests will be performed to find the cause. Various parts of the body have a limited range of movement. If you are unable to move as you should, or if it is difficult to move up and down or to the left or right, that may be the cause of the pain.
Test results
Upon examination, it was found that there were areas throughout the body that were not functioning properly.
Check the range of motion of the neck.
When I try to look up, my face should ideally be parallel to the ceiling, but it stops halfway. It also seems to cause pain in my neck and back. This is likely due to poor chest and back movement.
When you turn your head left or right, you feel a catch when you turn to the left. One possible cause is that the position of your left shoulder blade has risen.
Next, check to see if there are any problems with the position of your shoulder blades.
Although I have problems with my fingers, I don't touch them from the start for two reasons.
① Inflammation worsens and the number of visits to the hospital increases
When you get a massage, your blood circulation definitely improves for a moment, which feels good. However, the muscles that are causing pain are inflamed, so pressing on them will only make the inflammation worse. This will result in constant pain, and during the treatment, it will be impossible to tell whether your symptoms are improving or not.
This makes it impossible to tell on the spot whether the symptoms have improved, so we end up saying, "That's all for today. Let's see how it goes for a while," which results in the patient having to come to the clinic more often. This is not desirable as it increases the burden on the customer.
② There is no cause in the area where the pain is occurring
When you have problems with your fingers, the cause is often far away, in your abdomen or legs. Relaxing the muscles around your hands can temporarily relieve pain, but it doesn't really improve the underlying cause.
Also, the muscles that are causing pain may not be relaxed, and the more treatment you receive, the worse the pain will become.
For these two reasons, even though the patient complains of trigger finger, we do not touch the hand from the start.
Treatment details
We will introduce you to the holistic treatment method.
The unique feature of NAKO's chiropractic treatment is that it does not aim to make you gradually feel more comfortable, so that you fall into a deep sleep and when you wake up the pain is a distant memory.
NAKO's treatment involves repeated examinations and treatments, conducted in tandem with the client. This is to find a solution as soon as possible. Therefore, during the treatment, not only will you be standing and sitting to repeatedly undergo the examination, but you will also be doing light exercises to align your skeletal structure, so you may find it difficult to get a good night's sleep.
NAKO began as a trial and error process to determine how quickly pain could be alleviated in foreign countries where the length of stay is limited. Since we don't know when we will be able to see our customers again, we have been seeking solutions on the spot, and have conducted extensive research. As a result, we now offer unique treatments that incorporate examinations and exercises.
I tried the movements that had caused pain during the pre-treatment examination again, and found that I no longer felt any hip pain, even when sitting.
Since it is not possible to determine whether trigger finger has healed until morning, I was unable to check on the spot, but I later found out that it had not recurred.
It may heal naturally. If the condition worsens, it will progress to the next stage, depending on the progression of the trigger finger.
① I have pain at the base of my fingers. My hands are swollen when I wake up in the morning.
② The base of the finger is swollen or feels hot. It is difficult to move.
③My finger is bent and won't straighten.
④ Repeated recurrences.
Even if the condition heals naturally, you are still using your body in a way that makes you more susceptible to trigger finger, so it's a good idea to take this opportunity to check what parts of your body are not in ideal condition.
Steps to solve the problem holistically
The way we use our bodies, learned from childhood through play, sports, accidents, childbirth and other events, has shaped the physical condition we have today.
If you are experiencing pain, it is simply your body's way of telling you that there is a problem with the way you have been using your body up until now.
The first step to solving the problem is to stop the pain. After identifying the cause through an examination and then performing treatment, the pain will be reduced. Only after the pain has been alleviated will you be ready to learn how to use your body correctly.
The second step is to learn how to use your body correctly. This will change your body and brain so that you don't go back to your old state.
Since physical pain is often caused by lifestyle habits, stretching and exercise are necessary. Just like brushing your teeth, consistent practice is important.
If you want to solve your pain, you need to stop the pain first, then stretching and exercise can come afterwards.
