Trigger Wrist: A Case Series Study

Trigger wrist is a relatively rare hand disorder that refers to the painful snapping and clicking or triggering at the wrist level during finger or wrist movements. 

In this study, we aimed at reporting a series of trigger wrist and discussing their etiology, as well as their clinical manifestation and outcomes.

In this retrospective study, the patients with the definitive diagnosis of trigger wrist were reviewed. Their demographics and clinical symptoms were extracted from their medical records. The symptoms of median neuropathy, including weakness or atrophy of the thenar muscles, ‎persistent numbness, and paresthesia were recorded to investigate the association with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

A total of seven patients with the mean±SD age of 35.5±10.3 years were included in the study. A benign mass was the etiology of trigger wrist in all cases, with giant cell tumor of flexor tendon sheet as the most common etiology (57.1%). Trigger wrist was associated with CTS in three cases (42.8%), in all of whom the tumor size was larger than the average. Pain and snapping with or without palpable mass were the main clinical symptoms of the patients that completely disappeared by surgical removal of the lesion. A mean 40.3 months follow-up of the patients was uneventful.

Benign neoplasms could be considered as the most common etiology of trigger wrist. Since many patients with trigger wrist might have CTS, too, the careful differentiation of these entities is necessary. Once accurately diagnosed, surgical intervention is entirely curative.