What is De Quervain’s tenosynovitis?

De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is a condition that affects your wrists, specifically the tendons of the thumb side. It results to pain on your wrist whenever you hold or grasp something, while making a fist, or simply any movement from your hands that involves pressure.

Who Gets De Quervain’s tenosynovitis?

Adults between 30 and 50 usually get De Quervain’stenosynovitis but anyone can suffer from this condition. Pregnant women often get this condition at the start of their pregnancy, during pregnancy, and the symptoms usually disappear when they give birth or at the end of breastfeeding.

How to Diagnose De Quervain’s tenosynovitis?

When the discomfort and pain starts, it is best to consult aDe Quervain’s tenosynovitis doctor. He will examine your hand to see the severity of its condition. A simple test such as the Finkelste in test that includes bending your thumb across your hand and down over the thumb could be used in diagnosing the issue. If there’s an evident pain on the thumb side, it may be caused by De Quervain’s tenosynovitis.

What is the Treatment for De Quervain’s tenosynovitis?

To reduce inflammation and restore your thumb function without any discomfort or pain, treatment is needed. Medications such as Naproxen as well as Ibuprofen are usually given to the patient to reduce pain and inflammation.

If there is intense swelling, your hand doctor may suggest corticosteroid injections. Oftentimes, only one injection can help patients recover fully from De Quervain’s tenosynovitis.

Therapy and Surgery

• Do not move your thumb and wrist as much as possible. Keep it straight all the time by using a brace or splint.
• Apply ice compress on the painful part.
• Avoid repetitive movements using your thumb.
• Your doctor or therapist may advise certain exercises to strengthen your muscles and lessen the impact of your De Quervain’s tenosynovitis to your tendons.

Your doctor may suggest surgery if your condition gets serious despite the treatments and exercises recommended. During outpatient surgery, your hand doctor will open the sheath around your tendons to release the pressure from enabling your tendons to glide and move freely. Rehabilitation and strengthening activities will help you adjust and heal quickly.

Conclusion

It is highly important that you choose the right hand doctor for your De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. To those who are in Savannah, Georgia and in the surrounding areas, Dr. Gregory Kolovich can surely help you. Currently serving as the President of Georgia Society for Surgery of the Hand (GSSH) and is also the Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of Micro C Imaging, Dr. Kolovich is an award-wrinning hand doctor and orthopedic surgeon driven with passion to help. Backed with a strong experience in the medical field, he is also a cum laude graduate of the Ohio State University. He also focused on Hand and Microsurgery when he attended Harvard University.

Learn more about Dr. Kolovichat Healthgrades and request for an appointment at OptimHealth.