Ultrasound guided versus blinded injection in trigger finger treatment: a prospective controlled study

BACKGROUND: Trigger finger is a common disease with a lifetime prevalence of 2%. One of the frequently preferred non-surgical treatments is blinded injection around the A1 pulley. This study aims to compare the clinical results of ultrasound-guided and blinded corticosteroid injection in the trigger finger. METHODS: In this prospective clinical study, 66 patients who had persistent symptoms of a single trigger finger were included. Patients with similar baseline characteristics such as age, gender, triggering period, and comorbidities were randomized. 34 patients had ultrasound-guided (UG), and 32 had blinded injections (BG). QDASH, VAS, time to return to work, and complications were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The mean age was 52,66 (29–73) years. There were 18 male and 48 female patients. In the UG, the triggering resolved faster, returning to work was earlier, and the medication period was shorter (p < 0.05). A total of 17 patients who had diabetes mellitus received re-injections, 11 of which were in BG and 6 in UG (p < 0.05). Although statistically significantly lower scores were obtained in UG at the 1st and 4th weeks in the QDASH and VAS scores (p < 0.05), at the 12th and 24 weeks, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Using ultrasound guidance for corticosteroid injections is more effective for treating trigger fingers than the blinded method, leading to better results and a faster return to work in the early stages of treatment.