De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis

The thumbs rely on tendons, which are the bands of tissue that connect muscles to bone for movement. When inflammation affects the synovium, the sheath around the tendon, it is called tenosynovitis. De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is an inflammation of the thumb that causes hand pain and functional issues. Medici Orthopaedics & Spine offers effective treatments for relief and the improvement of thumb function for our patients with De Quervain’s tenosynovitis.

With De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, or tendonitis, either the thumb tendons, synovium or both are affected by inflammation. This can cause friction when moving the thumb, causing pain and limited function. The symptoms can include:

• Pain or tenderness in the thumb or interior side of wrist
• Increased pain when gripping or moving the thumb
• Pain can extend from the thumb up the wrist and forearm
• A popping or snapping feeling when moving the thumb

Women are up to ten times more likely to have De Quervain’s tenosynovitis than men. Common causes are injuries to the thumb, repetitive gripping with the thumb, arthritis and direct blows to the thumb. Activities that require constant grasping like tennis or driving can aggravate or cause this tendon condition.

Treating Thumb Tendonitis

Inflammation is the main cause of De Quervain’s tenosynovitis symptoms. Treatments that can relieve the inflammation on the thumb tendons and the synovium can help minimize symptoms. Steroid injections, immobilizing the thumb and other treatments can help improve the condition. Our pain physicians at Medici Orthopaedics & Spine will create an effective treatment plan to give patients with thumb tendonitis relief and improved gripping function.

If you have thumb pain that is not healing, come see us at Medici Orthopaedics & Spine. We have locations in the greater Atlanta area that offer pain management and rehabilitation for a wide variety of health conditions. Contact us to schedule an appointment for a consultation.