Effectiveness of Conservative Interventions in the Treatment of Trigger Finger

September 2, 2025 updated by: Feray Karademir, Hacettepe University
There is no study in the literature comparing the effectiveness of ESWT and splint therapy, which are the most commonly used approaches in the treatment of Trigger Finger (TF). The aim in this study is to investigate the effectiveness of ESWT and splint therapy used in the treatment of TF.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Volunteer patients who were clinically diagnosed with trigger finger by consulting a doctor at Etlik City Hospital, Hand Surgery Clinic will be included in the randomized controlled prospective study. Patients will be randomly divided into three groups using the 'Random Sequence Generator tab' on Random.org, a randomization website, and different treatment programs will be applied. ESWT application to a group; splint treatment with ESWT to the second group; The third group will receive only splint treatment. ESWT application will be performed on A1 puley at 15 Hz, 1000 shock wave impuls and 2.0 bar level, for a total of 5 sessions, one week apart. In addition to ESWT with the same parameters, a trigger finger splint that immobilizes the MCP joint will be recommended to the ESWT and splint treatment group. The patient will be asked to use this splint throughout the day for 8 weeks. The Splint Group will be offered the same trigger finger splint and will be asked to use it throughout the day for 8 weeks. Evaluation and measurements will be repeated for all three groups before treatment, immediately after treatment (8th week) and 4 weeks after the end of treatment (12th week). The number of individuals to participate in the study was calculated as 54 in total, with 18 people in each group (ESWT Group, ESWT+ Splint Group and Splint Group), according to the power and sample size analysis based on 80% power and 5% Type 1 error rate. Power analysis was performed based on pain intensity as the clinical endpoint.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
54

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Ankara
      • Ankara, Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye), 06100
        • Recruiting
        • Feray Karademir
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
          • Feray Karademir

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Volunteering
  • Being between the ages of 18-65
  • Being diagnosed with stage 1 or stage 2 (according to the Froimson classification) trigger finger
  • Having the language and cognitive skills to answer the questionnaires used in the evaluation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Being pregnant
  • Having an inflammatory disorder
  • Having had surgery on the hand/wrist
  • Having a neurological disease
  • NSAIDs, painkillers, etc. being on medication
  • De Quervain's tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel syndrome

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Trigger Finger Splint
A trigger finger splint that immobilizes the MCF joint will be recommended for the splint treatment group. The patient will be asked to use this splint throughout the day for 8 weeks.
Other: Trigger Finger Splint
A trigger finger splint that immobilizes the MCF joint will be recommended for the splint treatment group. The patient will be asked to use this splint throughout the day for 8 weeks.
Experimental: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT for short) application will be performed on A1 pulley at 15 Hz, 1000 shock wave impulses, and 2.0 bar level, for a total of 5 sessions, one week apart.
Other: Experimental: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT for short) application will be performed on A1 pulley at 15 Hz, 1000 shock wave impulses, and 2.0 bar level, for a total of 5 sessions, one week apart.
Experimental: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy+Trigger Finger Splint
Splint treatment will be applied together with ESWT. ESWT application will be performed on A1 pulley at 15 Hz, 1000 shock wave impulses, and 2.0 bar level, in a total of 5 sessions, one week apart. A trigger finger splint that immobilizes the MCF joint will be recommended for the splint treatment group. The patient will be asked to use this splint throughout the day for 8 weeks.
Other: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy+ Trigger Finger Splint
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT for short) application will be performed on A1 pulley at 15 Hz, 1000 shock wave impulses, and 2.0 bar level, for a total of 5 sessions, one week apart. Also, A trigger finger splint that immobilizes the MCF joint will be recommended.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual analog scale
Time Frame: pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 week
The severity of pain felt by individuals at rest and during challenging activities will be evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The VAS consists of a 10cm line, with two end points representing 0 ('no pain') and 10 ('pain as bad as it could possibly be').
pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Grip and pinch strength
Time Frame: pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks
Grip Strength Measurement: Standard, tip, lateral and tripod grip strengths will be performed in the test position standardized by the American Association of Hand Therapists. Jamar hand dynamometer and pinchmeter (Pro Med Products, Atlanta, GA, USA) will be used for evaluation. Grip strength will be measured at the 2nd position of the dynamometer. The evaluation will be made three times for each measurement and the average will be recorded in kg.
pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks
Number of trigger
Time Frame: pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks
Patients will be asked to open and close their hand ten times and the number of triggers will be recorded out of 10. If the patient's finger becomes locked at any time while making a full fist, they will be asked to stop and a score of 10/10 will be given.
pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks
Functional assessment
Time Frame: pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks
The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire: DASH contains thirty items regarding symptoms and activities of daily living. The total score is 100, with higher scores indicating more apology.
pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks
Treatment satisfaction
Time Frame: pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks

Roles and Maudsley Score is used to score treatment satisfaction level. The patient is asked to compare his/her pain level before and after treatment and to indicate whether he or she has benefited.

  1. Excellent: I have no pain, I can do my movements and activities fully, I benefited from the treatment.
  2. Good: I have some discomfort, but I can do my movements and activities fully, my complaints have decreased after the treatment.
  3. Acceptable: My pain level has decreased compared to before the treatment, but I feel discomfort after long-term activities. I received little benefit from the treatment.
  4. Bad: I cannot do activities due to my pain, I did not benefit from the treatment.
pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks
Functional assessment
Time Frame: pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks
Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire: It consists of six subheadings: general hand function, ADL (unilateral and bilateral), work, pain, aesthetics and satisfaction. Subheadings are filled separately for right and left hands. The score for each title is calculated separately. It is normalized by calculating the percentage of raw scores obtained by summing the scores (0 to 100) given to each question. Higher scores indicate better functional level.
pre-treatment and post-treatment at 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Hacettepe University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Kadir ÇEVİK, Etlik Şehir Hastanesi

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 2, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 14, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 28, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 6, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 9, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 2, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AEŞH- EK1- 2023-115

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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