Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationship between trigger finger (TF) and open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for distal radius fracture (DRF), comparing the incidence of TF in patients who underwent DRF ORIF to the incidence of TF in patients who underwent nonoperative DRF treatment. Data were collected from the Humana Insurance subset database of the pearl diver system for all patients who underwent ORIF for DRF between 2015 and 2017. Incidence of trigger finger was determined for extremities based upon the presence of a trigger finger diagnostic International classification of diseases (ICD-10) code within 6 months of ORIF. In our cohort of 23,733 patients, distal radius ORIF was an independent risk factor for trigger finger development subsequent to DRF (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.23-1.43; p<0.001). Surgeons should be aware of this association, particularly during post-operative patient assessment.