Patient education: de Quervain tendinopathy (The Basics)

What is de Quervain tendinopathy? — de Quervain tendinopathy 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. de Quervain tendinopathy is sometimes called "de Quervain tenosynovitis."

de Quervain tendinopathy involves tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the thumb. These tendons and the covering around them get inflamed. This causes symptoms.

Most often, de Quervain tendinopathy 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. But, it can also happen to people for no obvious reason.

What are the symptoms of de Quervain tendinopathy? — Symptoms of de Quervain tendinopathy include:

●Pain in the wrist or thumb

●Trouble gripping objects

●Swelling in the wrist

Will I need tests? — Probably not. Your doctor can usually tell if you have de Quervain tendinopathy by learning about your symptoms and doing an exam. During the exam, they will carefully check your thumb, hand, and wrist.

How is de Quervain tendinopathy treated? — Treatment for de Quervain tendinopathy includes:

●Resting your thumb – To avoid moving your thumb, you can wear a splint made for keeping the thumb still.

●Ice – 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" – NSAIDs are a large group of medicines that includes ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (sample brand name: Aleve).

●Exercises – 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:

●Getting a shot of a steroid medicine around the tendon in your wrist – This can help with pain.

●Surgery to cut or loosen the covering around the tendon

More on this topic

Patient education: Tenosynovitis (The Basics)
Patient education: Hand pain (The Basics)
Patient education: Common finger injuries (The Basics)
Patient education: Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (The Basics)

Patient education: Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (Beyond the Basics)