Jurbala Brian M MD

I’m extremely happy with the whole process and the results! I’m from NYC but was working in Miami when my trigger thumb problem started and very quickly was impossible to handle.
I googled it and Dr Jurbala technic «jumped» out. I researched it thoroughly, even asking friends who had same diagnosis, but different procedure.
My insurance, which was covering it completely, was running out. So I quickly made a decision and drove to Lakeland and back. The rest was miraculous! Very little discomfort, mostly associated with numbness. I totally forgot about it until I received a questioner from good doctor’s office asking about my progress.
By the way, his staff is supper nice and everything is well organized.
Thank you Dr. Jurbala!

— 1 day after — (7÷17÷2014)
Had my trigger finger fixed yesterday. Normally this is a somewhat invasive surgery with at least 2 weeks of downtime and months of recovery. Already after ~30 hours I’ve driven 8 hours, vacationed, shopped, and played with the grandson. There is pain, but it’s fairly manageable. The worst part of the surgery was getting my wedding band off after 32 years and gaining 100 pounds.
Dr Jurbala used the Trigger Tome ® tool that he invented. I didn’t watch but the procedure was quick. All of the history, prep, and post-​op instructions took almost an hour. The procedure took about 15 minutes but a lot of that was Dr J explaining what he was doing and talking about possible complications which are similar for any surgery.
I’ve been dealing with this issue for 3 – 4 years. Already I’m using my hand, flexing, gripping things, and such. I probably would be using it more except for the gauze wrap. My knuckle joint (PIP?) of the affected finger was starting to be bent a few months ago. This joint is/​was also pretty painful. I now realize this was a large portion of the pain that drove me to finally have the surgery.
— 5 days after —
At this point, I’m using my hand fairly normally, although I have some tenderness that tells me I shouldn’t push or pull too much with the affected finger. I’ve removed the gauze wrap, am down to the steri strips and a band-​aid. My biggest issue is the tenderness of the knuckle joint of the affected finger probably because of how long I waited to have the finger fixed.
Otherwise, the incision location is not very tender. The pulley area is still a bit sore, but I’m starting to massage it to break up the scar tissue. According to Dr J and his staff, I should do this for another few weeks. I’m also flexing my hand as exercise to keep the morning stiffness from becoming permanent. The exercise involves doing 3 – 10 reps of making a fist and releasing it about 3 – 5 times an hour. Certainly not a massive exercise program.
— 7 days after —
My knuckle joint is mostly pain free now unless I try to straighten it completely. The strei strips came off last night. I must have stretched the incision a bit too much because the site was tender this AM and there was a bit of blood. Painted on some nu-​skin to keep it from re-​opening. The pulley area is less tender but I’m continuing to massage it. My finger and parts of my hand are still pretty stiff and sore in the AM. After a bit of the making a fist exercise, that goes away.
— 15 days after the surgery —
In the mornings, my finger and the affected knuckle joint is still stiff. The curve in the finger is worse in the AM. Pain is mostly during the night and early morning. Mostly pain free during the day unless I try to straighten it completely.
As for the incision, it’s mostly healed. There is still some tenderness around the incision and down through the pulley area. Massage is continuing.
Had the 2 week follow-​up phone call. Assignment was to continue the stretching and massaging. If the curve in the PIP joint doesn’t resolve I am to call back for Physical Therapy.
I found some Post Operative instructions by Rachel Delaney on the internet. These seem to make sense, so I incorporated them into my exercises. Probably a little late on the Tendon Gliding Exercise. I suggest you look for them before your surgery and start them right away. Another site suggested that all of the exercises should be done slowly. I probably was doing them too fast.
— 5 weeks after the surgery —
I finally had the courage to watch the videos of the surgery. Wish I had done that earlier since I now understand some of the soreness and would have massaged a bit differently. At this point, my hand is still a bit sore in the morning. My knuckle is the main problem. My palm around the incision and pulley area are still a tiny bit tender but it’s not bad.
I went to a Certified Hand Therapist today (MS, OTR) and he was pretty impressed with my progress compared to the open release surgery. Although he did say that some open release patients had very good recovery.
Probably will not update my progress again unless things really change.
By the way, as far as the finances go, they told me an all inclusive no-​insurance price. Not sure if my local insurance will consider the procedure as in-​network. So my costs were airfare, Florida travel, hotels, and whatever my insurance won’t cover. Still maybe about a wash for me compared to the standard trigger finger release procedure. The reason I went for the Trigger Tome procedure is the huge difference in the recovery process.

Called his office and was quoted a cash price since I wasnt going to use insurance. I was referred to his office by another Dr. After filling out paperwork, they called me up and said they could not honor price given because Dr Jurbala had not talked to the Dr that referred me. I got Dr that referred me on phone and he said he had talked to his staff. Even after that they would not honor price quoted over phone. They wanted a $ 650 deposit and said minimum charge to put a cast on or care for my broke wrist was $ 2k. I even had my own x rays. I ended up walking out. I was not trying to be cheap. Just did not like how this was handled.