De Quervain Tendinopathy

What is de Quervain's tendinopathy?

de Quervain's tendinopathy is a condition that causes pain in the thumb and wrist. It is caused by a problem with a tendon. Tendons are strong bands of tissue that connect muscles to bones. de Quervain tendinopathy is sometimes called "de Quervain tenosynovitis."
de Quervain's tendinopathy involves tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the thumb. These tendons and the covering around them get inflamed. This causes symptoms.
Most often, de Quervain's tendinopathy happens when people use their wrist and thumb too much in certain ways. This includes gripping or grabbing objects (like a tool, golf club, or tennis racket) over and over.

What are the symptoms of de Quervain's tendinopathy?

Symptoms of de Quervain's tendinopathy include:

● Pain in the wrist or thumb

● Trouble gripping objects

● Swelling in the wrist

Will I need tests?

Probably not. Your doctor can usually tell if you have de Quervain's tendinopathy by learning about your symptoms and doing an exam. During the exam, he or she will carefully check your thumb, hand, and wrist.
Your doctor might do a test to check if your symptoms are from de Quervain's tendinopathy or another condition. For this test, the doctor will give you a shot of numbing medicine in your wrist and then see if your symptoms get better.

How is de Quervain's tendinopathy treated?

Treatment for de Quervain's tendinopathy includes:

● Resting your thumb – To avoid moving your thumb, you can wear a splint made for keeping the thumb still.

● Ice – You can put a cold gel pack, bag of ice, or bag of frozen vegetables on the painful or swollen area every 4 to 6 hours, for 15 minutes each time.

● Pain-relieving medicines called "NSAIDs" – NSAIDs are a large group of medicines that includesibuprofen andnaproxen.

● Exercises – After your symptoms improve, your doctor or nurse will show you exercises to help your wrist and thumb move more easily.

If your symptoms don't get better with treatment, your doctor might recommend other treatments. These can include:

● Getting a shot of a medicine called a steroid around the inflamed tendon in your wrist – Steroids help with inflammation. These arenot the same as the steroids some athletes take illegally.

● Surgery to cut or loosen the covering around the tendon