Conditions + Treatments
Hand Injury/Condition
Percutaneous Trigger Finger Release Under Ultrasound Guidance
I’m a retired college professor from Santa Barbara, California. Since 2019, my wife and I have traveled across the country four separate times to Birmingham, Alabama to be treated by the gifted and talented Dr. Ricardo Colberg at Andrews Sports Medicine.
My hands have always been my greatest tools — helping me teach Japanese language and literature, play music, and practice the art of Japanese calligraphy — and Dr. Colberg has been the trusted physician helping me protect them the past 7+ years.
In 2017, I developed terrible, constant pain in my right hand. It led to an open surgery on my right thumb and 4th finger with a respected, local hand surgeon in California. The surgery went well, but it was terrible. The recovery was really hard, requiring months of physical therapy.
A year later, my right hand began triggering again — painful and limiting. Because of my difficult open-surgery recovery, I started researching less-invasive alternatives on the internet. That’s when I discovered percutaneous trigger finger release under ultrasound guidance, a technique offered by Dr. Colberg.
I emailed back and forth with the Dr. Colberg, studied every professional article I could find, and decided this was the best path forward.
Somewhat skeptical, in April 2019, my wife and I flew from California to Birmingham. Dr. Colberg performed the procedure exactly as described.
By the time I flew home the next day, my hand felt almost “normal” — a stark contrast to the long recovery I had experienced with my previous open surgery. Within a week, I was back to drumming, playing piano, and writing Japanese calligraphy without pain.
Fast forward seven years, in September, 2025 my wife and I made our fourth cross-country trip to Andrews Sports Medicine, and every visit reminds me how grateful I am for Dr. Colberg and his team’s expertise and compassion.
What once felt like a decreased quality of life hinderance is now a story of relief, precision, and trust — proof that innovative care and the right doctor can get you back to the hobbies and activities you love.
