De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is a serious medical condition in which extensor pollicis brevis and the abductor pollicis longus tendons get inflamed. These are the tendons present on the inside of wrist and forearm. Any hand injury can put stress on these tendons resulting in inflammation and pain. Although De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is mostly found in women but according to orthopedic doctors, everyone is susceptible to it. Read on to know more about this condition.
Causes:
Some of the common causes and risk factors of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis include:
- Activities: According to the hand and wrist pain doctors, performing activities that involve repeated motion of thumb and hand may lead to this condition. Some of these activities include squeezing, pinching, grasping etc.
- Arthritis: It has been medically proven that people with rheumatoid arthritis are more prone to developing De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis.
- Pregnancy: There’s a growing evidence of association between pregnancy and De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis.
- Age: Some researches reveal that middle-aged women are more susceptible to this condition.
Symptoms: Listed below are a few common early and late symptoms of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis:
- Extreme pain over the thumb
- Increasing pain in the inside of wrist
- Difficulty in grasping the object
- Pain while twisting the wrist
- Redness in the area
- Swelling over the thumb and wrist
- Formation of fluid-filled cyst
- Snapping sensation when the thumb is moved
- Inability to move thumb and wrist
- Some people may also experience pain in forearm.
Diagnosis: Orthopedic doctors perform physical examination to determine the severity of condition and rule out other hand and wrist condition such as intersection syndrome. They may also perform Finkelstein test. During this test, the doctors may ask you to make a fist by placing your thumb against the hand. You may also be asked to bend the wrist towards the little finger. Extreme pain around thumb during the Finkelstein test confirms the prevalence of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis.
Treatment: Some of the common treatment options for De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis include:
- Rest: The doctors may suggest refraining from the physical activities.
- Ice: You may also be suggested to apply ice on the affected wrist.
- Medication: Anti-inflammatory medication may be prescribed by the doctor to relieve pain and swelling.
- Surgical procedure: Surgery may be recommended in severe cases.