What does the piano key sign indicate?

Study for the NBCOT Hand Injuries and Intervention Test. Prepare with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question offers hints and explanations. Get ready for success!

Multiple Choice

What does the piano key sign indicate?

The piano key sign tests distal radioulnar joint stability. When you press on the distal ulna at the wrist, a stable joint should stay firm, but in DRUJ instability the ulna head can move up and down like a piano key, revealing laxity often from TFCC injury or distal radius fracture with DRUJ involvement. This sign reflects abnormal motion at the distal radioulnar joint during palpation and forearm rotation. Proximal carpal instability involves the carpal bones higher up and presents differently, median nerve injury would show sensory or motor deficits rather than joint laxity, and trigger finger relates to tendon sheath constriction in the fingers, not the DRUJ.

The piano key sign tests distal radioulnar joint stability. When you press on the distal ulna at the wrist, a stable joint should stay firm, but in DRUJ instability the ulna head can move up and down like a piano key, revealing laxity often from TFCC injury or distal radius fracture with DRUJ involvement. This sign reflects abnormal motion at the distal radioulnar joint during palpation and forearm rotation. Proximal carpal instability involves the carpal bones higher up and presents differently, median nerve injury would show sensory or motor deficits rather than joint laxity, and trigger finger relates to tendon sheath constriction in the fingers, not the DRUJ.

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