If I have a trigger finger, how many cortisone injections should I have before I consider surgery?

In general, it is recommended that a trigger finger or thumb be treated conservatively before procedding directly to surgical release of the A-1 pulley. Yes--the surgery is straight-forward and reliable, but a single cortisone shot may be curative in 60-80% of cases. Furthermore, a recent study in the American Journal of Hand Surgery suggested that the most "cost-effective" treatment strategy included up to 2 injections (assuming the 1st was transiently helpful or not art all) before procedding to surgery. Though you may elect to have surgery sooner than later, trying an injection or two is certainly a supportable strategy. The one exception to this "rule" is if you have Diabetes. In these cases, injections are a bit less successful, in general---although it may still be worth trying one.

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