DeQuervain’s Syndrome

Repetitive strain injury is in fact a type of ‘umbrella’ diagnosis. There are many different kinds of repetitive strain injuries that one may develop as a result of the overuse of one body part or another.

DeQuervain’s Syndrome – Definition

DeQuervain’s syndrome is a type of repetitive strain injury that occurs in the wrist and the thumb, and like most repetitive strain injuries, it is often easily eliminated. DeQuervain’s syndrome is a problem that goes by many names.

Some refer to it as a ‘washerwoman’s sprain’. Radial styloid tenosynovitis is the medical name for DeQuervain’s syndrome. Some refer to it as DeQuervain’s disease, but whatever you call it, the syndrome is characterized by an inflammation around the tendons that are located inside of the thumb.

There are two tendons that are affected in the syndrome, and they are located within the extensor pollicis brevis and the abductor pollicis longus muscles.

These two tendons give us the ability to raise and lower our thumbs, and when the sheaths that contain the tendons become inflamed, which are known as synovial sheaths, the afflicted person will feel pain and have noticeable swelling of the thumb and/or the wrist.

Finkelstein’s Test

Doctors often ask the patient to perform a relatively simple motion in order to diagnose a case of DeQuervain’s syndrome. The patient is asked to make a fist with the thumb on top, and then tilt the wrist towards the pinky finger side of the hand.

If the patient experiences pain from this motion, they likely are afflicted with DeQuervain’s syndrome. This test is known as Finkelstein’s test, and it is the standard for diagnosing the syndrome.

The repetitive motions that involve the thumb may result in DeQuervain’s syndrome, most commonly the use of the thumb when typing on a computer or typewriter. When it comes to treating DeQuervain’s, patients are often asked to stop using the thumb in a repetitive manner to allow it an opportunity to heal on its own.

Some physicians may recommend splints in order to keep the motion the thumb participates in to a minimum.

Anti Inflammatory Drugs

In order to decrease the inflammation of the sheaths, and consequently the paint that it causes, non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs may be prescribed. Most cases of DeQuervain’s can be easily eliminated by discontinuing the repetitive motions of the thumb and using anti-inflammatory drugs to ease the inflammation.

More advanced cases of DeQuervain’s may merit the injection of steroids into the affected area. In the most extreme and untreatable cases of DeQuervain’s syndrome, surgery may be necessary to fully ease the problem.

Now that you know more about DeQuervain’s syndrome, how you can diagnose it and how you can treated, you’ll be better suited to dealing with the problem should it arise in you or someone that you love.

You may want to speak to a doctor in order to get proper medical advice if you think that you may have DeQuervain’s syndrome.