PURPOSES: The goals of the study were to (1) evaluate the impact of trigger finger (TF) on motor function, activity and participation (A&P), and quality of life (QOL) and (2) evaluate the association between personal factors (age and gender, disease severity) and body functions (dexterity and strength) with A&P and QOL in patients with TF.

BACKGROUND: TF is usually described in the literature in terms of symptoms, but there is a lack of reference to the broader consequences of this pathology. This trend is not compatible with the broad perspective of the International Classification of Function (ICF).

DESIGN: Descriptive, comparative, correlational, cross-sectional study

PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-six participants with TF Grades 1–3 recruited from two hand surgeons clinics and 66 healthy volunteers

METHOD: A&P was evaluated using the Disabilities of Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH) and QOL was evaluated using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL–BREF). Dexterity was evaluated using the Functional Dexterity Test (FDT) and the Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT), and strength was evaluated using the Jamar dynamometer (JD) and pinch gauge (PG). The Quinnell grading system was used to assess clinical severity of TF.

DATA COLLECTION: The hand functioning assessments and questionnaires were administered to participants with TF immediately after their visit to the doctor. Healthy volunteers were administered the same assessment protocol.

ANALYSIS: Before testing of main hypotheses, a principal-components factor analysis was conducted for (1) all subtests of the FDT and PPT, which produced one factor; (2) for right and left hand JD and PG, which produced one factor; and (3) for the four domains of WHOQOL–BREF, which produced one factor. These factors were used for further data analysis and will be referred to as dexterity hand strength and QOL, respectively.

An independent-samples t test was conducted to compare QOL disability, dexterity, and hand strength between TF and control groups. A hierarchical stepwise analysis was used to calculate the explanatory power of the independent personal (age and gender), disease severity (Quinnell grade), and impairment (hand strength and dexterity) variables on the dependent variables (DASH and global health-related QOL).

RESULTS: The comparisons between the study and control groups revealed significant differences in measures of QOL, t(126) = 3.8, p = .001, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.31, 0.98]; A&P, t(95) = 9.2, p = .001, 95% CI [21.15, 32.78]; hand strength, t(129) = 4.5, p = .001, 95% CI [0.42, 1.06]; and dexterity, t(128) = 4.2, p = .001, 95% CI [0.37, 1.02]. The study group reported lower perceived QOL and A&P and reduced hand strength and dexterity.

In the regression model with QOL as the dependent variable, all the independent variables together explained 24.1% of the variance in QOL (overall F = 3.368, p = .010).

The hierarchical analyses revealed that the disease severity variable significantly contributed to the R² change (12%), whereas personal factors, hand strength, and dexterity were not significant. Regarding the second model with A&P as the dependent variable, all the independent variables together explained 42.4% of the variance in A&P (overall F = 8.377, p = .001). The hierarchical analyses revealed that all variables contributed significantly to the R² change.

CONCLUSION: This study described the implications of TF using the ICF framework and demonstrated that even a relatively minor hand condition may have an impact on all domains of this model when compared with healthy participants, stressing the importance of incorporating this framework in hand therapy practice.

IMPACT STATEMENT: Although TF is considered to be a mild hand pathology, it has a wide-ranging impact. A&P and QOL should be addressed when treating people with TF.