{"id":11424,"date":"2022-08-12T10:03:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T08:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.physiotutors.com\/?post_type=wiki&p=11424"},"modified":"2026-10-15T18:56:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T16:56:19","slug":"flick-sign","status":"publish","type":"wiki","link":"https:\/\/www.physiotutors.com\/wiki\/flick-sign\/","title":{"rendered":"Flick Sign"},"featured_media":11425,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"class_list":["post-11424","wiki","type-wiki","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"free_access":"","app_link":"","sections":[{"acf_fc_layout":"page-header-detail-page","background":{"background_image":11425,"background_image_alt_text":"Flick Sign"},"heading":"Flick Sign | Carpal Tunnel Syndrome","subheading":"Wrist & Hand Assessment","content_editor":"","button_type":"internal_link","button_label":"Check our shop","button_style":"button-five","button_internal_link":4646,"button_anchor":"","button_url":"","button_file":null,"label":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"submenu","links":[{"button_type":"anchor","button_label":"Learn","button_internal_link":null,"button_anchor":"section-number-3","button_url":"","button_file":null},{"button_type":"anchor","button_label":"Free masterclass","button_internal_link":null,"button_anchor":"section-number-5","button_url":"","button_file":null},{"button_type":"anchor","button_label":"Assessment E-Book","button_internal_link":null,"button_anchor":"section-number-6","button_url":"","button_file":null}],"dropdown_label":"Go to","button_right":{"button_type":"internal_link","button_label":"Try Premium free","button_style":"button-three","button_internal_link":26802,"button_anchor":"","button_url":"","button_file":""},"button_description":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content-content","section_options":{"vertical_alignment":"top","column_right_box":false,"column_left_width":"col-12 col-lg-4 offset"},"column_left":{"content_editor":"

Learn<\/h4>"},"column_right":{"content_editor":"

Flick Sign | Carpal Tunnel Syndrome | Wrist & Hand Assessment<\/h2>\nWe have covered several tests for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as well as its differential diagnosis here on our website. Most of the individual provocation tests only yield weak diagnostic accuracy and the best available tools we have is a thorough patient history and clustered findings such as those proposed by Wainner et al. (2005)<\/a>.\u00a0 Wainner also included the flick sign in their clinical prediction rule so let\u2019s look at its individual validity in detail.\nA systematic review by D\u2019Arcy et al. (2000)<\/a> references diagnostic accuracy findings of the original proponent of the Flick sign, which was Pryse-Phillips in the year 1984. In the original study, the Flick sign yielded a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 96%. These findings have been critiqued by colleagues who were not able to reproduce them in similar study designs shortly after the original publication. In 2004, Hansen<\/a> and colleagues re-evaluated the flick sign in their diagnostic accuracy study and also found a sensitivity of 37% and specificity of 74% thus echoing the overall weak clinical value of the flick sign in the diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.\n
\n\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QX2h4haky2I[\/embed]\n\n<\/div>\nThe flick sign is more of a patient history finding than it is a special test. Essentially, you want to know whether the patient flicks the affected hand in order to ease symptoms such as pain and paresthesia. Imagine a hand motion such as when shaking down a thermometer.\n\nShaking the hand and wrist should reduce symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in order for the flick sign to be present or positive.\n\n \n\n \n\nOther common tests to assess Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are:\n