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During the surgery for trigger finger patients usually have a tourniquet placed on their arm. The reason for this is to limit the blood flow down into the surgical area. This helps the surgeon see because there are small vessels and nerves that are in proximity to where the surgery is done. The tourniquet is typically left up for about 10 minutes during the surgery, and this is usually the main reason that patients need some sedation. Local anesthetic such as Lidocaine or Novocaine is used during the surgery and the incision typically is about one centimeter in length. This is typically located right in the mid palm, where the triggering occurs. The surgery itself just involves releasing the proximal portion or beginning of the tunnel, so that every time the tenant tries to get caught as it goes through the tunnel, now the tunnel is much wider and released so that it can be caught. This typically does not have any effect on a patient’s motion or strength. Typically, all these return to normal postoperatively. During the surgery, the patient is typically awake or lightly sedated, depending on their pain tolerance with the tourniquet.
