De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. The condition generally manifests through repetitive stress on these tendons causing inflammation and swelling, which in turn leads to pain when raising the thumb or bending the wrist.
Increased use of mobile gadgets makes people more prone to suffer from pain in the thumb and wrist and the condition is often seen in housewives, computer users, and racket sports players. Most common causes are:
Pregnant ladies are also at a higher risk of suffering from de Quervain’s tenosynovitis due to hormonal changes, which cause tendons and ligaments to become laxer. For them, the recovery period is also longer as they may need to wait till the hormone levels return to normal after pregnancy.
Usually, de Quervain’s tenosynovitis can be managed well with physiotherapy treatments. The expected recovery duration is about six to eight weeks for soft tissues healing and treatment varies according to the phase of the injury.
Pain relief is the main goal. Pain, swelling, and redness at the hand are the common symptoms in the inflammation stage. Physiotherapy treatments aim to reduce the inflammation and improve the circulation around the tendons, for example, ice therapy, acupuncture, ultrasound and microcurrent therapy (a form of electrical stimulation). It is also important to let the hand region rest. People suffering from acute pain should also avoid carrying weight and any squeezing motions.
As the pain is being managed, stretching and gentle mobilization can be helpful. Gentle massage on the tendons and muscles and stretching can begin, to maintain the range of movement of the thumb and the flexibility of the soft tissues. The following exercises in the sub-acute phase.
When the pain level becomes stable, strengthening exercises for the thumb and wrist muscles can begin, to build more support.
If the pain cannot be controlled fully with physiotherapy treatments, medication or injection may give fast relief to control the pain and inflammation.
Non–steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) or other painkillers can be used to control the early stage of inflammation. If the pain and inflammation are not controlled well with oral drugs, the doctor may suggest a local steroid injection to the inflamed tendons.
If the pain does not respond well to physiotherapy, medication and injection, the doctor may recommend a “tendolysis” surgical intervention to release the tendon from adhesions and let the tendons glide smoothly.
Preventive care and measures care and measures