A tendon release is a type of surgery performed to treat severe trigger finger. This condition occurs when a tendon in the hand gets trapped in a tendon sheath due to inflammation. In mild cases, conservative treatments are used to treat trigger finger; however, a tendon release surgical procedure may be needed to widen the opening of the tendon sheath so that the tendon can pass through more easily, states the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Patients undergoing tendon release surgery may rarely experience complications.
Infection
Infection is a risk of a tendon release procedure, states the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. This occurs because bacteria that live on the skin, surgical tools or surgeons may infect the surgical wound, finger or hand joints, or may spread to the rest of the patient's body. Signs of infection include excessive pain, redness or a foul-smelling drainage from the surgical site. In addition, signs of an infection that has spread to the rest of the body include fevers, chills and night sweats. In this case, a patient should not hesitate to seek emergency medical treatment to prevent further complications.
Excessive Bleeding
Excessive bleeding may occur because the hand surgeon may damage one of the blood vessels that run through the hand or up the side of the fingers. In this case, a surgeon may need to reenter the surgical site to repair the damaged blood vessel. Other risk factors for excessive bleeding include a patient taking blood-thinning medications such as aspirin, clopidogrel or warfarin. A patient taking these medications should be sure to let his surgeon know so they can be stopped prior to surgery to prevent excessive bleeding. A patient experiencing excessive swelling, redness or blood draining from the surgical site after a tendon release surgery should immediately contact his surgeon.
Continued Triggering
In some cases, a patient may experience continued triggering of the affected finger after surgery, says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. This occurs because a surgeon may not fully release the tendon sheath that is causing the tendon sliding underneath it to get caught in the tendon sheath. Symptoms may slightly improve but a patient may still have triggering of that particular finger. In this case, the surgeon may have to reenter the surgical site to completely release the affected tendon. Once the tendon sheath is fully cut, the tendon passing underneath it should no longer get caught in the tendon sheath and the patient will be relieved of trigger finger.
