Is the tip of your thumb completely numb after having a steroid (cortisone) injection for trigger thumb?
Does it feel like you’re touching someone else’s thumb?
Today I had a steroid injection for a trigger thumb.
After getting into the car following the procedure was the first time I touched the tip of my thumb with the index finger of the opposite hand.
It was dead numb; a complete loss of feeling.
The complete loss made it difficult to navigate fine motor control that involved using the thumb.
It felt as though I were touching someone else’s thumb!
Numbness After Cortisone Shot for Trigger Thumb
My experience was that not too long after the injection, I began feeling tingling or a very vague sensation of “pins and needles” (not painful) in the tip of my thumb.
At first, the numbness was the only side effect – there was no “prickly” or tingly sensation.
At some point afterwards, I became aware of the tingling.
This actually meant that feeling was returning to the thumb. The nerves were awakening, you might say.
As I felt the area with my index finger, I could slightly detect some feeling.
The tingling increased a bit more over a short period of time, as sensation gradually returned.
About three hours after the treatment, I was able to fully feel the area with my index finger.
Don’t Be Alarmed
So if right after a cortisone shot for a trigger finger, it feels dead numb, give this a few hours to begin resolving.
My doctor, indeed, had mentioned prior to the injection that the steroid included an anesthetic.
This anesthetic numbs the area, including nearby nerves.
Additionally, pressure from the injection or mild swelling can irritate nerves, leading to transient numbness or tingling.
Though after three hours sensation seemed to be back to normal, this doesn’t mean that it’ll take three hours for every single person who undergoes the procedure.
Ask your physician what the expected or normal time window will be for the numbness to resolve.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness, where she was also a group fitness instructor, she trained clients of all ages and abilities for fat loss and maintaining it, muscle and strength building, fitness, and improved cardiovascular and overall health.
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