Previous Cartilage Damage leading to buildup of scar tissue

[Padawan]

Over three years ago I suffered an injury to my left index finger where my backpack slipped off of my shoulder and I on reflex, caught it before it fell to the ground but with only one finger which led to it getting twisted. At first, I thought I'd broken a bone but after getting an xray nothing was found. Anyways after MANY doctors later, I seem to of suffered cartilage damage. Fortunately, despite cartilage being avascular I've always been an extremely quick healer and my cartilage is as good as new, apparentely. However, my finger likes to 'lock up', it becomes stuck at a 90 degree curled angle and its painful whenever it does this. I have to try to pop it back into place, and the hand specialist I went to told me it's not doing any harm to me, and that my fingers just getting caught on all the scar tissue that formed. I use Voltaren Gel in the area and that seems to reduce the chances of dislocation. The problem is, I'm also someone looking to get into lifting weights and I find whenever I lift something heavy, or have to grip it hard(I'm not sure which of the two causes the dislocation) my finger dislocates, and feels weak and easier dislocated in the future.

Please, I've spent so much time looking for help what can I do to live a normal life again? I'm only 21 years old, I suffered this injury at 18 and right now I feel like my life may be ruined. I can't even help anyone lift anything, my dad even calls my nearly 80 year old grandpa over to help lift things instead of me, because of this problem. So my question is, how safe is surgically removing scar tissue from the finger? It's in the joint that is the base of the finger, like it's the joint on the hand that connects to the other joints on the finger. I hope this makes sense, I wish I knew the technical terms to explain this. Also would scar tissue around the cartilage ever vanish on it's own? I hope somebody here can help, it seems hardly anyone knows about this, and most of the doctors I've gone to have never seen this and I can't even find it through searching the internet

[Heidi]

Have you had an MRI scan (or another scan) to determine that scar tissue is the casue of the problem? It is possible, but a cartilage tear which has a flap which hasn't healed is also possible.
Have you tried strengthening exercises (using elastic bands and putty etc) for the hand, to strengthen the muscles around the fingers?