Evaluating the Association Between Obesity and Development of Trigger Finger and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Purpose: Obesity is known to cause a low-grade inflammatory environment that can influence the development of musculoskeletal disorders. We hypothesized that patients with high body mass index (BMI), defined as ≥30, would develop carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) or stenosing tenosynovitis (TF) earlier than patients with a normal BMI. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for adults diagnosed with CTS or TF between January 2016 and December 2020 at a tertiary center. The primary outcome was age at diagnosis of CTS or TF. A high BMI was considered Results: In total, 259 patients met the inclusion criteria. Our analysis revealed that patients with a BMI above 30 were diagnosed with CTS or TF an average of 6.4 years earlier than those with a normal BMI, at 67.5 and 61.1 years, respectively ( Conclusions: Patients with a high BMI above 30 were diagnosed with CTS or TF at a younger age than normal BMI after covariate adjustment. Obesity is associated with accelerated development of CTS and TF after adjusting for comorbidities such as smoking and type 1 diabetes. Clinical relevance: This study sheds light on the earlier development of CTS and trigger finger in patients with a BMI greater than 30, contributing to a relatively underexplored area of upper-extremity musculoskeletal pathology research and enabling clinicians with more thorough data for preventative talks with patients.