Hand & Finger Tendinitis: Symptoms & Treatment

Quick answer

Hand tendinitis causes pain and swelling with movement; its commonest forms are trigger finger (a catching finger) and De Quervain’s (thumb-side wrist pain). Most cases respond to rest, a splint and anti-inflammatories taken by mouth or as a gel such as diclofenac, then a steroid injection, with surgery for persistent cases. A whole finger that is swollen, red, hot and very painful to straighten may be an infected tendon sheath — an emergency.

✅ Last medically reviewed by Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Shaarawi, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, on 5 October 2026

About your surgeon: Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Shaarawi

Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University.
Visiting Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ohio, USA.
Certificate in complex fractures and trauma, University of Maryland, USA.
He has performed more than 2,543 tendon releases (trigger finger, trigger thumb and De Quervain’s) and more than 4,536 nerve releases (carpal tunnel, ulnar nerve and Guyon’s canal), alongside more than 6,735 targeted injections for hand tendons and nerves.
This includes more than 230 endoscopic carpal tunnel releases, and he has managed more than 1,100 hand cases without surgery.
Rated 4.9 and 5.0 on Google by about 300 patients.

He sees hand patients at his clinics in Nasr City, Mohandeseen and New Cairo (5th Settlement).

Hand tendons work constantly, so inflammation is common, especially with repetitive tasks, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Here is how to recognise and treat it, as part of our guide to carpal tunnel release and hand nerve surgery.

Hand tendon anatomy in brief

Flexor tendons on the palm side bend the fingers and wrist; extensor tendons on the back straighten them. Each runs in a lubricated sheath held down by pulleys; inflammation of the sheath (tenosynovitis) makes gliding painful.

Types of hand and finger tendinitis

Type	Pain location	Key sign
Trigger finger	Base of the finger, palm side	Catching and clicking
De Quervain’s	Thumb side of the wrist	Pain on lifting; Finkelstein test
Wrist tendinitis	Front or back of the wrist	Pain on bending or straightening the wrist
Infected tendon sheath	The whole finger	Swelling, heat, redness, severe pain — emergency

Table 1: Types of hand tendinitis and how to tell them apart.

Trigger finger locked in flexion from tendon inflammation — Trigger finger is one of the commonest forms of finger tendon inflammation — Image: RCraig09 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Video: don’t force your finger straight

Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Shaarawi warns against a common mistake with a locked finger (in Arabic).

Causes and risk factors

Repetitive gripping, typing, phone use and housework.
Diabetes (may affect several fingers).
Rheumatoid arthritis and gout.
Direct injury.

Symptoms

Pain on moving the finger or wrist.
Mild swelling over the tendon.
Clicking or catching.
Weak grip.

Key numbers to know

In a Cochrane review of 14 trials (1,260 patients, about 70% women), triggering returned within 6–12 months in 38.5% after a steroid injection versus only 6.5% after open release (Fiorini et al., Cochrane 2018).
Up to three steroid injections are effective in most patients with trigger finger, and open A1 pulley release remains the benchmark operation when they fail (Gil et al., JAAOS 2020).
In De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, for every two patients treated with a steroid injection one more improves than with a splint alone — about three times the chance of improvement (Ashraf and Devadoss, 2014).

Treatment	When we use it	What to expect
Rest and a finger splint	Grade I–II (pain and clicking)	Less pain and catching for some patients
Steroid injection into the tendon sheath	Grades I–III	Effective for many and can be repeated up to three times, but recurrence is higher than after surgery
Tendon release (A1 pulley release)	Failed injections, a locked finger (grade III–IV), or several fingers	A small incision under local anaesthesia; recurrence is rare
De Quervain’s release (first compartment release)	Persistent pain after injection	A small incision under local anaesthesia, protecting the sensory nerve branch

Table: hand and finger tendinitis treatment options

At Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Shaarawi’s clinics in Nasr City, Mohandeseen and New Cairo (5th Settlement) we examine the finger or wrist and grade the tendon problem at the same visit, then choose a splint, injection or release according to the grade.

Treatment

Rest and activity modification.
A splint for the finger or thumb and wrist.
Ice for short periods.
Oral anti-inflammatories or a topical diclofenac gel for mild cases.
Steroid injection into the tendon sheath for persistent cases.
Tendon release surgery when catching or pain persists despite treatment.

When is it an emergency?

A finger that becomes uniformly swollen, red and hot, held slightly bent and very painful to straighten — especially after a cut or prick — suggests infection of the flexor tendon sheath and needs urgent surgical assessment and antibiotics.

Frequently asked questions about hand tendinitis

What are the symptoms of hand tendinitis?

Pain on moving the finger or wrist, mild swelling over the tendon, sometimes clicking or catching, and weak grip.

What is the best cream for hand tendinitis?

Anti-inflammatory gels such as diclofenac suit mild cases, combined with rest and a splint. Persistent cases need assessment.

Does hand tendinitis need antibiotics?

Usually not, because it is non-infective inflammation. Antibiotics are only for an infected tendon sheath, which needs urgent treatment.

When is finger tendon inflammation dangerous?

When the whole finger is swollen, red, hot and very painful to straighten, or after a cut or prick — this may be infection and needs emergency care.

When does hand tendinitis need surgery?

When catching or pain persists despite splints and injections, as in trigger finger and De Quervain’s; release is done through a small incision.

To have your hand assessed and your nerve tests reviewed, book a consultation, call +20 155 240 4488 or message us on WhatsApp at +20 155 554 7181.

Medically reviewed by Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Shaarawi, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. This article is general medical education and does not replace an examination or the treatment plan your surgeon sets for you. See our medical disclaimer.

Related hand nerve and tendon guides

Related guides on hand tendons:

Hand and Finger Tendinitis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and the Right Creams