De Quervain’s syndrome – symptoms, causes, treatment

If you are complaining of persistent thumb pain, it may be a sign that you are suffering from de Quervain’s syndrome. It is a condition involving inflammation of the long abductor and short extensor tendon sheath of the thumb. Find out what this disease manifests itself and how to treat it.

1. Chronic pain in the thumb may be a symptom of de Quervain’s syndrome
2. This is a disease of muscle attachment to the bone
3. If untreated, the disease progresses, so it should not be underestimated
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

What is de Quervain’s syndrome?

De Quervain’s syndrome belongs to entezopathy, i.e. diseases of muscle attachments to the bones. When the tendon sheath of the thumb muscles becomes inflamed, moving it becomes difficult and painful. Moreover, the disease progresses when left untreated: the lack of free movement of the tendons in the sheath causes further thickening and fibrosis, which can increase the severity of the inflammation.

What causes de Quervain’s syndrome?

The exact reasons for the appearance de Quervain’s syndrome are not investigated. The most popular hypothesis is that the disease may be the result of the accumulation of numerous microtraumas caused by overloading the thumb during repeated movements with its use. In practice, this means that on de Quervain’s syndrome groups of people such as:

1. Young mothers. Overloads arise as a result of frequent lifting of the child. It is such a common ailment in mothers that the disease is sometimes commonly referred to as the mother’s thumb.
2. People who carry out work in which the thumb is bent and straightened on a regular basis. Examples include carpenters and other craftsmen.
3. Professional musicians who spend long hours repeating identical movements. The piano is considered to be one of the instruments that weighs heavily on the thumbs.
4. Athletes, especially tennis players.
5. Representatives of the younger generation should be interested in the fact that the use of thumb may also be overloaded by frequent texting on a mobile phone.

Some factors that they presumably can trigger de Quervain’s syndrome, are not related to lifestyle, but to other diseases. We are talking about mechanical injuries around the wrist or changes resulting from rheumatoid arthritis.

How is de Quervain’s syndrome manifested?

If you suspect you may be suffering from de Quervain’s syndrome, pay particular attention to symptoms such as:

1. Pain in the thumb, especially at the root. It is exacerbated by a firm grip and finger movement, especially to the extreme points of joint flexure, such as when making the “thumbs up” gesture. The pain can spread over the entire thumb and hand, all the way to the forearm.
2. A feeling of jumping the tendon at the base of the thumb. Sometimes you can also hear a crunch when you move.
3. Deterioration of the grip strength and the mobility of the thumb.
4. Swelling and redness in the thumb area.

There is a basic test to verify that we are dealing with de Quervain’s syndrome. It is called test by Finkelsteina and consists in closing the hand into a fist with the thumb surrounded by the other fingers, and then folding the hand towards the ulna. If there is pain, it is a sign of its occurrence de Quervain’s syndrome.

How is de Quervain’s syndrome treated?

If we see at home symptoms of de Quervain’s syndrome in a light run, you can start with home remedies. Relief may come from:

1. Saving the hand in which there is soreness.
2. Cold compresses. Simply placing an ice cube on the sore spot can help.
3. You can also ease de Queravain’s syndrome with an over-the-counter ointment containing ingredients such as diclofenac or ketoprofen.
4. It is advisable to slightly brace the hand with a bandage. However, beware! Merely stopping the movement of the sick thumb is not the way to cure de Queravain’s syndrome. It will lead to muscle weakness which can make the condition worse.

If your symptoms do not improve after a few days of using these methods, see your doctor immediately. He should first carry out appropriate diagnostics, usually consisting of an ultrasound and an X-ray. This is important because there are a number of diseases with similar symptoms. However, if they have been ruled out, the patient is given injections of corticosteroid and anti-inflammatory drugs to stop the progression of the disease. In addition, thumb immobilization is used, as well as a number of rehabilitation treatments. Cryotherapy and iontophoresis help to relieve pain. The regeneration of inflamed tissue is accelerated by treatments such as laser, magnetic field and ultrasound therapy. Special rehabilitation exercises may also be prescribed. Treatment time de Queravain’s syndrome depends on the progression of the disease and the regularity of rehabilitation treatments.

De Queravain’s syndromeif it has an extremely severe course, it may require surgical treatment. The operation involves incision of the tendon sheath, which allows the tendon to move freely. Subsequently, any inflammation-induced lumps and adhesions are removed. Correctly performed surgery results in complete recovery de Queravain’s syndrome.

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