Update: I developed trigger finger in the same pinky finger approximately 10-11 weeks after elbow surgery (approximately 8 months after the first steroid injection), when the post-surgery therapeutic exercises began to put more strain on my finger. I mentioned to my occupational therapist (OT) that my pinky finger was swollen and stiff, and that the joint near the top of my palm (the metacarpophalangeal joint) was very tender, sore, and warm to the touch.
My OT remembered that that was the same finger in which I had previously had trigger finger, and made an appointment for me with my orthopedic surgeon to get another steroid injection. My ortho injected the joint approximately 12 weeks post-surgery, and said that if trigger finger comes back a third time, he would consider a surgical treatment.
Hopefully this will not be necessary, as my third New Year’s Resolution, which I did not share with you, is “No Surgeries in 2017!”