Hi, all. Long story short:

2012: Surgery for right thumb contracture. That surgeon said he had removed the "pulley" so the thumb would never contract. And indeed, it hasn't. Total success.

2022: Surgery for left thumb contracture. I had asked surgeon to also operate on the left index finger which had started to contract. He said to leave it alone. He also did not remove the pulley.

2024: Left index finger further contracted; left thumb contracting again. Did needle release with only local anesthesia, which was terribly painful.

1.5 years later here I am with further contraction in left index finger and thumb. So now I am torn between needle release and surgery.

Surgeon says he could give me sedation for the needle release, but it would not be pain free as I need to be awake enough to tell him if he's getting too close to a nerve. That scares me, as the pain was so intense during the needle release.

Has anybody had needle release under sedation? How bad was it compared to local anesthesia?

Or should I just do surgery again? I'm 51 years old. No palmar chords. Knuckle pads on most fingers.

Edited 02/27/2026 19:24