Kienböck’s Disease Following a Hypersupination Injury: A Case Report

TL;DR

A 32-year-old woman's wrist pain was caused by avascular necrosis of the lunate after a hypersupination injury, highlighting the need for thorough evaluation of chronic wrist pain.

Contribution

This case report highlights avascular necrosis of the lunate as a rare cause of chronic wrist pain following a hypersupination injury.

Findings

The patient's wrist pain was diagnosed as avascular necrosis of the lunate.

Initial radiographs showed no signs of fracture or focal sclerosis.

The case emphasizes the importance of considering non-traumatic causes in chronic wrist pain.

Abstract

Wrist pain is a common presentation in primary care clinics. Chronic pain after trauma with non-acute radiographs requires careful physical examination and a case-specific workup. We present a case of a 32-year-old female evaluated at the primary care clinic with two months of left wrist pain after a hypersupination injury that was found to be secondary to avascular necrosis of the lunate on the left wrist with no radiographic signs of fracture or focal sclerosis on plain films. This case demonstrates the importance of identifying less common chronic wrist pain etiologies.

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