M65.3: Trigger finger

You have one or more trigger fingers.

With trigger fingers, the tendons that flex the affected fingers become enlarged. Tendons are made up of very firm connective tissue. Tendons attach muscles to bones. A tendon sheath is a covering for the tendon. It cushions the tendon and contains a small amount of fluid. This reduces friction between the tendon and its surroundings. The tendon sheaths in the fingers are strengthened by annular ligaments. These annular ligaments ensure that tendons and tendon sheaths stay close to the bone.

If tendons become enlarged, they are no longer able to slide through the tendon sheaths and annular ligaments as well. If you want to flex or extend the affected fingers, the enlarged tendons initially get snagged. If you exert more force, the enlarged tendon is released with a jerk. The finger then “snaps” or “fires”. If the tendon affected is extremely enlarged, it may become impossible to move the finger.

Tendons can become enlarged due to inflammations. Tendon inflammations can be caused by excess use or repetitive movements.

Additional indicator

On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.

  • G: Confirmed diagnosis
  • V: Tentative diagnosis
  • Z: Condition after
  • A: Excluded diagnosis
  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.
Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).