gms | German Medical Science

14th Triennial Congress of the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand (IFSSH), 11th Triennial Congress of the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy (IFSHT)

17.06. - 21.06.2019, Berlin

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Trigger finger in ocean rowing – a hindrance to performance

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  • presenting/speaker Ted Welman - Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
  • Maxim Horwitz - Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom

International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand. International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy. 14th Triennial Congress of the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand (IFSSH), 11th Triennial Congress of the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy (IFSHT), 11th Triennial Congress of the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy (IFSHT). Berlin, 17.-21.06.2019. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2020. DocIFSSH19-745

doi: 10.3205/19ifssh0914, urn:nbn:de:0183-19ifssh09149

Published: February 6, 2020

© 2020 Welman et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Outline

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Objectives/Interrogation: Trigger finger is a mechanical condition that can result following repetitive finger movements. Ocean rowing is an expanding extreme sport that typically involves periods of weeks to months doing little other than repetitive rowing strokes. In our experience, a high proportion of ocean rowers suffer from trigger finger(s). We aimed to identify the prevalence, severity and longevity of the condition in this cohort following an ocean crossing.

Methods: Prospective observational study. Ocean rowers who planned to start a crossing in 2018 were identified using the Ocean Rowing Society (ORS) online portal. All rowers were consented to take part prior to departure and asked to fill out a survey containing a trigger finger self-scoring system on arrival.

Results and Conclusions: 98 people were registered to attempt an ocean rowing crossing in 2018, of which 88 were a part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (TWAC) race. A high proportion of responses documented suffering from painful clicking and locking of the affected digit. Symptoms were often present in more than one finger and were commonly bilateral.

Trigger finger is a common complaint amongst ocean rowers and can have an effect on performance. Triggering can prevent sufficient grip strength on the oar, resulting in ineffective strokes and the danger of damaging or losing an oar in bad weather. Interestingly, those that did suffer from the condition reported complete resolution of symptoms without treatment.