De Quervain's tenosynovitis | Healthify (2024)

FAQs

What is the fastest way to cure de Quervain's tenosynovitis? ›

Steroid (cortisone) injections.

Most patients recover from the condition after receiving injections. One study of 80 patients with De Quervain's tenosynovitis found that 95% were symptom-free after two or three injections over the course of 6 weeks.

De Quervain's tenosynovitis is a temporary condition. It generally responds well to treatment. It is important to treat de Quervain's tenosynovitis. If this condition isn't treated, it can permanently limit your movement or cause the tendon sheath to burst.

These findings suggest that patients with de Quervain tenosynovitis should receive a local corticosteroid injection with thumb spica immobilization for 3 to 4 weeks as first-line treatment.

Surgery for De Quervain's Tenosynovitis

If non-surgical treatment options do not provide relief and your pain becomes too severe, our surgeons will discuss surgical interventions.

Although the exact cause of de Quervain tenosynovitis isn't known, any activity that relies on repetitive hand or wrist movement — such as working in the garden, playing golf or racket sports, or lifting a baby — can make it worse.

If you start treatment early, your symptoms should improve within 4 to 6 weeks. If de Quervain tenosynovitis starts during pregnancy, symptoms are likely to end around the end of either pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Doctors know that the symptoms are caused by a compression of two tendons (that attach muscle to bone) that pass through the wrist near the lower thumb on the way to the hand. The compression causes pain with activities that rely on repetitive hand or wrist motion.

For example, making the same wrist motions over and over can irritate the tendons. This includes doing things like unscrewing jar lids or grasping a tool. Activities such as typing, playing racquet sports, knitting, and texting can also lead to the condition.

This condition, called de Quervain's syndrome (but known also by many other names – see list below), can cause severe pain that it hinders the simplest of daily tasks, such as bathing, feeding, or changing a newborn baby's diapers. What is de Quervain's syndrome? What causes de Quervain's syndrome?

It's rare, but some people with untreated de Quervain's tenosynovitis can permanently lose some function or range of motion (how far you can move a part of your body) in their thumb and wrist.

When does de Quervain's require surgery? ›

De Quervain's disease causes pain when you move your wrist and thumb, and usually a tender swelling at the base of your thumb. If treatment with steroid injections has failed, surgery should relieve your pain.

Your wrist and thumb will be sore and swollen at first. You may feel numbness or tingling near the incision. This feeling will probably start to get better in a few days, but it may take several months to go away.

In de Quervain's (say "duh-kair-VAZ") tendinitis, the tendon becomes swollen. This causes the tendon to rub painfully against the tissue that covers it. This surgery will probably be done while you are awake. The doctor will give you a shot (injection) to numb your hand and prevent pain.

Patients typically report several weeks of pain, often severe, on the radial aspect of the wrist at about the level of the radial styloid. Wrist pain and grip weakness are the hallmarks of de Quervain's tenosynovitis.

Discussion: Results in the present series, with a mean follow-up of 9.5 years, were favorable, with total regression of functional impairment in 85% of cases and a satisfaction rate of 97.5%. There were no cases of tendon dislocation, neuroma, or recurrence.

For example, making the same wrist motions over and over can irritate the tendons. This includes doing things like unscrewing jar lids or grasping a tool. Activities such as typing, playing racquet sports, knitting, and texting can also lead to the condition.

Thumb adduction and abduction

Move your thumb away from your palm as far as you can. Hold for about 6 seconds. Then move your thumb back to the starting position, with your thumb resting against your index (pointing) finger. Repeat 8 to 12 times.

Doing repetitive motions with your thumbs and wrist at work or for a hobby are the most common causes. Most people need to wear a splint and rest their wrist for a few weeks to recover. It's rare, but you might need surgery to relieve pressure in your tendon sheaths.

Doctors know that the symptoms are caused by a compression of two tendons (that attach muscle to bone) that pass through the wrist near the lower thumb on the way to the hand. The compression causes pain with activities that rely on repetitive hand or wrist motion.