De Quervain's Tenosynovitis

The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate пїЅ пїЅ

What is de Quervains tenosynovitis? " пїЅ De Quervain's tenosynovitis 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. пїЅ пїЅ

De Quervain's tenosynovitis involves tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the thumb. These tendons and the covering around them get inflamed. This causes symptoms. пїЅ пїЅ

Most often, de Quervain's tenosynovitis 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. пїЅ пїЅ

What are the symptoms of de Quervain's tenosynovitis? " пїЅ Symptoms of de Quervain's tenosynovitis include: пїЅ пїЅ

Pain in the wrist or thumb
Trouble gripping objects
Swelling in the wrist

Will I need tests? " пїЅ Probably not. Your doctor can usually tell if you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis by learning about your symptoms and doing an exam. During the exam, he or she will carefully check your thumb, hand, and wrist. пїЅ пїЅ

Your doctor might do a test to check if your symptoms are from de Quervain's tenosynovitis 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. пїЅ пїЅ

How is de Quervain's tenosynovitis treated? " пїЅ Treatment for de Quervain's tenosynovitis includes: пїЅ пїЅ

Resting your thumb " пїЅ To avoid moving your thumb, you can wear a splint made for keeping the thumb still.
Ice " пїЅ 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 " пїЅ " пїЅ NSAIDs are a large group of medicines that includes ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (sample brand name: Aleve).
Exercises " пїЅ 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: пїЅ пїЅ

Getting a shot of a medicine called a steroid around the inflamed tendon in your wrist " пїЅ Steroids help with inflammation. These steroids are different from the ones athletes take to build muscle.
Surgery to cut or loosen the covering around the tendon

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 82812 Version 4.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.208 пїЅ пїЅ

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De Quervain's Tenosynovitis

The Basics

Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer

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