Case Report: 40s Female – Trigger Finger in Right Thumb and Its Link to the Neck
“My right thumb has been hurting since last year…”
A woman in her 40s visited our clinic with the following complaint:
“My right thumb has been painful and feels like trigger finger since around last year.”
Just the day before, she felt a pulling pain from her neck to shoulder when she looked down, and at the same time, her trigger finger symptoms worsened.
Could the Cause Be a Habit Formed Around the Neck?
Upon examination, we found that her C4 vertebra (4th cervical) tended to flex excessively, with restricted mobility on both sides. The surrounding muscles were also tight and contracted.
It’s likely that daily habits like PC work, preparing meals, or doing the dishes were reinforcing a tendency to bend forward from the C4 area, putting strain on the neck and ultimately affecting the shoulders, arms, and fingers.
Improved Thumb Movement After Neck Adjustment
We performed a standard cervical adjustment in the supine position and had her test the thumb movement during the process. She was surprised:
“The pain when closing my thumb is gone—I can bend it again!”
There was still some mild pain when extending the thumb, but the range of motion had greatly improved, and the overall pain had significantly decreased. A side-lying adjustment further enhanced the results.
“I never thought the problem was in my neck…”
She had been treating the issue by applying patches and massaging the fingers and arms, never suspecting the neck as the source of the problem.
However, after seeing the immediate results, she was able to understand how frequently these types of finger or arm symptoms actually stem from the cervical spine.
She left with a relieved smile on her face—it was wonderful to see.
✅ Preventative Tip
- Try the “12 o’clock posture exercise” – a simple daily technique to realign the neck and reduce recurrence of trigger finger and arm discomfort.
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