An interventional study of Finger orthosis and Paraffin bath in Trigger Finger, Splint Therapy and Paraffin Bath, sponsored by Konya Beyhekim Training and Research Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-19.
Sponsored by Konya Beyhekim Training and Research Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Patients aged 18-75 years who present with trigger finger to a tertiary rehabilitation hospital and agree to participate will be included in the study. Participants will be randomly allocated into three groups using block randomization. The first group will use a static finger splint that blocks the proximal interphalangeal joint for 6 weeks, along with a home exercise program. The second group will receive paraffin bath therapy, and the third group will receive peloidotherapy, both in combination with home exercises.
All patients will receive education about the disease and activity modification. The finger joint-restricting splint and exercises will be applied for 6 weeks. Evaluations will be conducted at baseline, at the end of the 3rd week, and at the end of the 6th week by a blinded assessor. No analgesic or anti-inflammatory medication will be permitted during the study, and patients will be instructed to avoid using analgesics within 24 hours prior to each assessment.
Patients aged between 18 and 75 years who were diagnosed with trigger finger and agreed to participate in the study will be included. A total of 60 patients who have applied to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation outpatient clinics of the University of Health Sciences Beyhekim Training and Research Hospital will be enrolled. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, eligible and willing participants will be randomly assigned to three groups using block randomization.
The first group will be instructed to use a static finger splint that blocks the proximal interphalangeal joint for 6 weeks and will also follow a home exercise program. The second group will receive paraffin bath therapy for 20 minutes per day, 15 sessions over 3 weeks, together with a home exercise program. The third group will receive peloidotherapy at 45°C for 20 minutes per day, consisting of 15 sessions over 3 weeks, in conjunction with a home exercise program.
A static finger splint that restricts the proximal interphalangeal joint and maintains it in extension will be provided to the patients. They will be instructed to wear the splint continuously during both day and night, removing it only for hygiene or essential needs. The splint will be worn for 6 weeks until the completion of the study, and the daily duration of splint use will be recorded for each patient.
The home exercise program will include finger passive and active range of motion exercises (passive fist-making and active range of motion without triggering), tendon gliding, self-administered gentle A1 pulley stretching, and gentle deep circular massage. The exercises will be demonstrated to each patient in practice by a physician or physiotherapist and taught using printed visual materials. Patients will be specifically instructed, encouraged, and monitored to ensure exercise adherence. Those with an adherence rate below 70-75% will be excluded from the study.
All patients will receive education about the disease and will be advised on activity modification. Evaluations will be performed before treatment, at the end of the 3rd week, and at the end of the 6th week. A blinded assessor will conduct detailed examinations and evaluate the groups in terms of the study's primary and secondary outcome measures.
Patients' baseline sociodemographic and clinical data will be recorded, and a detailed physical examination will be performed. Pain intensity, trigger frequency, severity, and functional impact will be evaluated using a 0-10 Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Clinical staging of the trigger finger will be determined according to Green's classification (Grades 1-4). Patient compliance with orthotic use and exercise will be documented. Ultrasound assessments, including tendons thickness, A1 pulley thickness, and the presence of effusion (semiquantitative) will be performed by a blinded researcher with over five years of experience in musculoskeletal ultrasonography. In addition, patients' satisfaction levels will be evaluated and recorded using the Patient Global Improvement Scale. Any potential treatment-related undesirable effects effects will also be documented.
No analgesic or anti-inflammatory medication will be prescribed during the treatment period. Additionally, patients will be informed not to take any analgesic medication within 24 hours before the assessments.
93 studies on the registry are indexed under Trigger Finger Disorder; 22 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is close to the median of 66 across 75 interventional studies indexed under Trigger Finger Disorder.
Browse Trigger Finger Disorder studies →Konya Beyhekim Training and Research Hospital is the lead sponsor of 32 studies on the registry; 14 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The group receiving the finger joint-blocking orthosis
Device: Finger orthosis
The group receiving paraffin bath therapy
Other: Paraffin bath
The group receiving peloidotherapy
Other: Peloidotherapy
Joint-blocking finger orthosis plus home-based exercise therapy
Paraffin bath plus home-based exercise therapy
Peloidotherapy plus home-based exercise therapy
VAS pain
VAS pain: 0 no pain; 10 unbearable/max. pain.
Time frame: Baseline, week 3 and week 6
Green's classification (Grades 1-4)
Trigger finger classified according to Green's classification (Grades 1-4) Grade 1 - Pretriggering: Pain in the palm and tenderness over the A1 pulley, with a history of triggering not demonstrable on examination. Grade 2 - Active Triggering: Triggering is clinically evident, but the patient can actively extend the finger. Grade 3 - Passive Triggering: 3a: Locking is present and requires passive extension. 3b: Locking is present, and the patient cannot actively flex the finger. Grade 4 - Contracture: The finger is completely locked with a fixed flexion contracture at the PIP joint.
Time frame: Baseline, week 2 and week 6
Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ)
The Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) is a comprehensive self-reported questionnaire developed to evaluate hand function, pain, and patient satisfaction. It is used to assess the functional status of individuals with upper extremity disorders and consists of six subscales: Overall Hand Function, Activities of Daily Living, Work Performance, Pain, Aesthetics, and Satisfaction. The Turkish version of the MHQ has undergone linguistic and cultural adaptation processes, and its validity and reliability have been established. Studies have demonstrated that the Turkish MHQ has high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, supporting its use in both clinical practice and research for assessing hand and wrist problems. The MHQ is scored on a scale ranging from 1 to 100. Except for the pain subscale, higher scores indicate better hand function and satisfaction, whereas higher pain scores represent greater pain intensity. The overall hand health status is determined by cal
Time frame: Baseline, week 2 and week 6
Patient Global Impression of Change
Patient Global Impression of Change (Improvement): 1: Very much improved 2: Much improved 3: Minimally improved 4: No change 5: Minimally worse 6: Much worse 7: Very much worse
Time frame: Week 2 and week 6
Ultrasonographic evaluation of the trigger finger
Ultrasonographic evaluation of the trigger finger will be performed using a LA2-14A transducer. The hand and forearm will be positioned with the palmar surface facing upward (full supination) and the wrist maintained in a neutral position. The ultrasound examination will begin in the longitudinal plane and then proceed to the transverse plane. The MCP joint, flexor tendons, and volar will be identified. At the level of the MCP joint, the transducer will be rotated to obtain a transverse image along the long axis of the flexor digitorum tendons. The thin layer located between the hyperechoic A1 pulley and the hyperechoic surface of the flexor digitorum tendons will represent the synovial fluid space, appearing as a hypoechoic band on ultrasonography. The thickness of the A1 pulley will be defined as the distance between its superior and inferior margins, including the hyperechoic region. The maximum thickness of the A1 pulley above the MCP joint will be measured and recorded.
Time frame: Baseline, week 2 and week 6
Ultrasonographic evaluation of the trigger finger
The cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of the flexor digitorum tendons will also be measured using a similar approach as described above. At the level of the MCP joint, the maximum CSAs of the flexor digitorum tendons will be manually traced in the transverse view along the outer hyperechoic contour. The average of three measurements will be calculated and recorded. Similar measurements will be performed on the corresponding finger of the contralateral healthy hand and recorded for comparison.
Time frame: Baseline, week 2 and week 6
Plan to share: No
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Konya Beyhekim Training and Research Hospital