Pain in your thumb and wrist? It could be De Quervain’s tenosynovitis

When a simple hand movement, such as making a fist or moving the thumb, becomes painful, it could be from daily overuse resulting in de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. — TNS

De Quervain’s tenosynovitis (pronounced da-KWUHR-vanes teena-sine-ah-VITE-us) is a complicated name for a condition that’s been referred to as “mother’s thumb”, “mummy wrist” and “gamer’s thumb”, which are all associated with repetitive use of the hands and wrist.

It is a condition that causes extreme pain in the wrist and thumb area.

While the exact cause is not known, Mayo Clinic orthopaedic surgeon Dr Sanjeev Kakar says that there are specific treatment options that can help.

When a simple hand movement, such as making a fist or moving the thumb, becomes painful, it could be from daily overuse.

“One of the most common is something called de Quervain’s tenosynovitis,” says Dr Kakar.

He says it’s primarily a tendon problem.

“If you think of the wrist, basically what we have here is that we have the tendons, which move your thumb.

“And they are covered by this band and this is natural.

“We all have this, but in certain patients, they can have inflammation in this area,” he explains.

When the tendons underneath this band become inflamed, they can cause intense pain.

“Now, luckily, the treatment for this is relatively straightforward.”

Hand therapy and wearing a splint may help.

“Sometimes, we need to do a corticosteroid injection to decrease inflammation, and most of the time, it gets better.

“But sometimes, we need to do surgery,” says Dr Kakar.

It’s an outpatient procedure that involves opening the sheath surrounding the tendon to release pressure and allow the tendons to glide more freely and pain-free. – By Deb Balzer/Mayo Clinic News Network/Tribune News Service