De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is caused by inflammation in the wrist area under the thumb due to repeated awkward thumb movements. Treatment includes lifestyle changes, wrist braces, cortisone injections, and surgery in severe cases. Recovery can take several weeks, and patients must be diligent in avoiding re-injury.
De quervain’s tenosynovitis is a disease caused by inflammation that causes pain on the inside of a person’s wrist in the area under the thumb. This ailment is usually caused by repeated awkward thumb movements over a long period of time. These movements damage important tendon pathways in the wrist and thumb area, thus causing inflammation. De quervain’s tenosynovitis is usually treatable, although treatment may require lifestyle changes and special precautions.
There are muscles above the forearm that generally control the movement of the fingers and thumb. These muscles are attached to tendons that travel through tunnels in the bones of the arms and hands. There is a lubricated surface inside the tunnels called the tenosynovium that keeps the tendons moving smoothly. When the tenosynovium becomes inflamed, it can swell, which makes it painful for a person to move their thumb.
For some people, inflammation can actually redden the surface of the skin, while for others, it can also cause visible swelling. The pain of de quervain’s tenosynovitis can become so severe that the individual may be temporarily disabled and forced to miss work. This pain usually builds up gradually over time, generally starting as a minor inconvenience and slowly increasing in severity as awkward thumb movements continue to hurt the area. If the thumb movements stop, sometimes the condition can recover on its own without any medical treatment.
When doctors diagnose de quervain’s tenosynovitis, they typically ask patients to wear some sort of wrist brace. Doctors can also learn as much as possible about patients’ working conditions and ask them to modify the way they perform certain tasks with their hands. Once treatment has begun, it can sometimes take several weeks for all symptoms to subside. When symptoms finally go away, patients are always at risk of retraining the problem, so future diligence in terms of activities performed with the hands may be required.
A common treatment is to inject patients with cortisone, and this can often greatly reduce any inflammation in the area. Sometimes this doesn’t work, although the success rate is usually very high. For patients who cannot recover normally, doctors may choose a surgical option. This normally involves creating a gap in the bone tube through which the tendons travel, which will result in a larger opening and allow the tenosynovia to heal. Surgery is generally avoided if possible because rehabilitation can be long and painful, with a long period of impaired physical function.
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