Trigger finger injection | Painful stiff finger

Trigger finger is a condition that arises when the gristle around the tendons in the palm of the hand becomes thickened and forms a small firm nodule.

These nodules are part of the tendon. The tendon is the tough white band that joins the muscle onto the bone. The tendons need to be able to move freely as they glide and slide around the palm of the hand.

If a nodule forms then the tendon will not move freely. It will be prone to getting stuck from time to time because of the shape of the bones and the layout of the muscle.

When this tendon nodule causes sticking then the condition is called "Trigger Finger" - or sometimes "Trigger Thumb."

Trigger finger injection treatment is designed to shrink and soften the nodule - making the tendon run freely and smoothly again.

Trigger finger injection is often succesful but some patients eventually get a recurrence of the problem and need a surgical operation to clear things.

Steroid Injections For Pain | Injection Treatment | Painful Joints

All steroid type injections are designed to relieve pain by relieving inflammation.

All of the steroids that are commonly used for injection are from the anti inflammatory family of drugs.

They include drugs like Kenalog (triamcinolone), Depomedrol or Depomedrone (methylprednisolone) and hydrocortisone acetate.

Steroid injections for pain work by relieving and switching off the inflammation cells and inflammation pain pathways in the vicinity of the area injected.

Most of the injected steroid drugs will stay around in the system for up to ten days, working away slowly to clear up inflammation damage and thus reduce pain. Not all pain conditions will respond to a steroid injection - because not all pain conditions have inflammation as the cause of the problem.

Back Pain Injections | Treatment For Back Problems | Injection

Back pain injections vary in both technique and drugs used depending on what the underlying problem is.


Commonly used back pain injection treatments include the following:

• epidural injection for nerve root pain - this can be either a so called caudal epidural injection or a lumbar epidural injection
• facet joint injections
• facet joint nerve blocking injections
• facet joint denervation injections
• sacroiliac joint injections with steroid and local anesthetic
• soft tissue injections
• trigger point injections
• local intramuscular injection techniques are also sometimes used.

You'll find articles about all of the above back pain injections throughout the site. Just use the search function. If you can't find what you're looking for then leave a question for Doctor Cameron using the box to your right. 

Injections for India | Travel to India | Vaccinations Needed

This question was asked by a reader:

What should I do about injections for India? How do I discover the vaccinations I require for travel to India on holiday?

I will be travelling with my wife and son who is four years old. Will my son also need travel injections for India or will he be covered by his normal childhood vaccinations?

Is there a special travel clinic I can visit to plan injections needed?

Many thanks

B12 Injection Side Effects | Vitamin B 12 Side Effects

Most people who have an injection of vitamin b12 into the muscle will experience no side effects at all - but some will, and this seems particularly true if the vitamin is being given in higher than normal dose schedules - or when it is given very frequently.

B12 injection side effects include (in no particular order of frequency):

• nausea
• headache
• dizzy feelings
• febrile episodes or feverish and flushed feelings
• allergic or hypersensitivity reactions to the vitamin b12 or to other chemicals in the injection liquid
• rash or itch after B12 injection
• redness or pain at the vitamin b12 injection site or in the muscle around the site of b12 injection
• low potassium levels
• high platelet counts
• vitamin b12 injections can also cause a change in the color of the urine

You should also note that in some countries vitamin b12 injection is called Hydroxocobalamin

Facial fat injections | Lip Injections | Fat injected to face

There is increasing interest in the use of fat taken from elsewhere on the body, liquidized or treated and then reinjected by a cosmetic specialist doctor.

These facial fat injections are designed to create a change in the contours of the face - particularly the lips, cheeks or chin.

Have you have facial fat injections?

Was the outcome good? How long did the effects last?

Leave a comment and share your experiences.

Tennis elbow injections | elbow pain treatment

Tennis elbow is caused by inflammation on the bone at the outer side of the elbow. The pain and inflammation arises at the bit of bone where extensor muscles of the wrist are attached.

Tennis elbow injections are a good way of relieving this pain and inflammation - although other elbow pain treatment options are also available.

Side effects of tennis elbow injection include a transient worsening of the pain, flushing or redness in the injection area - and later, in a few patients, some dimpling or whitening of the skin in the area of the injection.

Tennis elbow injections are not usually painful if they are performed with a careful technique and by an experienced injection doctor.