Lateral band snapping syndrome in the little finger – easy to misdiagnose, easy to mistreat. Case report

Abstract

Clicking, triggering or snapping during finger motion is common and mostly results from stenosing tenosynovitis or pathology around the metacarpophalangeal joint. We describe a case of a 15-year-old girl with lateral band-snapping syndrome of the left fifth finger due to a previous traumatic event, an uncommon condition with few reports in the literature. Initially misdiagnosed as a trigger finger, she was operated on with a typical approach and no improvement. After the correct assessment by other surgeons and ultrasonographic confirmation of the pathology, reconstruction of transverse retinacular ligament and subsequent physiotherapy led to a full recovery. Although uncommon, this pathology should be considered and potentially ruled out in most cases of finger triggering or snapping.