GLP-1 Drugs Linked to More Scarring and Pain After Trigger Finger Surgery | Research

The takeaway

Patients on GLP-1 receptor agonists had significantly higher rates of scarring, postoperative pain, wound complications, and repeat surgery after trigger finger release.

Nearly 2× scarring
Trigger finger patients on GLP-1 drugs had 1.5% vs 0.9% scarring rates at 90 days post-surgery

What the researchers found

GLP-1 RA exposure was associated with increased scarring (90d: 1.5% vs 0.9%), postoperative pain (90d: 13.2% vs 10.6%), wound complications (90d: 1.7% vs 0.9%), and repeat surgery at 1 year (11.4% vs 9.5%) after trigger finger release.

Why it matters

As GLP-1 drugs become ubiquitous, understanding when they may worsen outcomes is as important as knowing when they help. This finding suggests GLP-1 drugs may impair tendon or wound healing in ways relevant to hand surgery.

How the study worked

Retrospective propensity-matched cohort study using the TriNetX US Collaborative Network with 4,283 patients per group, comparing GLP-1 RA exposure within 1 year of surgery to no exposure.

What this study cannot tell us

Retrospective observational design. Cannot establish causation. Patients on GLP-1 drugs may have underlying metabolic conditions affecting healing. Specific GLP-1 agents and doses not differentiated.

How to read the evidence

Large propensity-matched retrospective study with consistent findings across multiple timepoints and outcomes. Observational design limits causal inference.

When this study was published

Published in 2025, providing early safety data on GLP-1 drugs in the hand surgery context.

The bigger picture

This is one of the first studies showing potential negative surgical effects of GLP-1 drugs. It contrasts with positive findings in other surgical contexts and raises important questions about how these peptide drugs affect tissue healing.

Questions still open

What mechanism could explain GLP-1 drugs impairing tendon and wound healing after hand surgery?
Should hand surgeons consider temporarily stopping GLP-1 drugs before trigger finger release?
Do these negative effects extend to other tendon-related surgeries?

Common questions

Should I stop my GLP-1 medication before trigger finger surgery?

This study shows an association but cannot prove the GLP-1 drug caused the worse outcomes. Discuss with your surgeon and prescribing doctor before making any medication changes.

Why would a diabetes/weight loss drug affect surgery healing?

GLP-1 drugs have effects on inflammation and tissue repair throughout the body. While these effects are beneficial in many contexts, they may interfere with the specific healing processes needed after tendon surgery.

Read the original research

The Influence of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists on Outcomes Following Trigger Finger Release.

Journal of hand surgery global online, 8(2), 100923

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Dameron, Laura S; Bank, Nicholas C; Raghava, Narayan; Himmelberg, Stephen; Knoll, Gregory M. (2026). The Influence of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists on Outcomes Following Trigger Finger Release.. Journal of hand surgery global online, 8(2), 100923. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhsg.2025.100923