Focused Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) Versus Traditional Physiotherapy in the Treatment of Trigger Finger

Trigger finger is the common name of stenosing tenosynovitis of fingers, caused by repetitive trauma. Conservative treatment includes NSAIDs or other analgesic agents, activity modification, splint, and physiotherapy. Operation could be considered if conservative treatments fails. With literature reviewed, there is no treatment which is both non-invasive and effective, and also could avoid recurrence well. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy could induce angiogenesis, anti-inflammatory reaction, and recruitment of fibroblast. Although extracorporeal shock wave has been utilized in musculoskeletal diseases for more than twenty years, there is no well-designed clinical trial to prove the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave in treating trigger finger. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy with traditional physical therapy for the management of trigger finger.