De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis | 2022’s Physical Therapy Guide

In De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis, the swelling and thickening of the soft tissues around the thumb tendons cause pain with common activities, such as picking up or grasping objects. De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis physical therapy helps you reduce pain and inflammation along with enhanced strength and range of motion.

Common causes of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis

Anyone can suffer from De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. But according to various researches, here are some common causes of the disease.

• Age: people aged 30 and 50 have more chances of De Quervain’s disease.
• Gender: women are 8 to 10 times more likely to get it than men.
• Motherhood: it often occurs after pregnancy. For instance, when you lift your baby repeatedly.
• Motions: it can also occur when you move your wrist over and over again; it doesn’t matter whether for fun or work.

How to diagnose De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?

Your physical therapist will perform a comprehensive evaluation to analyze all the factors that contribute to De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. They will ask several questions from you to gather information about your health history, condition, and activities. For this, they will give you forms before your first session to gather the needed information about when you are suffering from the disease and what De Quervain’s treatments you followed to reduce the symptoms.

The questions will be more specific to the symptoms of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. For example, your physical therapist may ask you questions such as:

1. When and how did you first notice the symptoms?
2. What types of symptoms you feel at present?
3. What daily activities you perform that requires use of hands?
4. How you take care of the disease in the early stage?
5. Have you contacted other health care providers?
6. Have you done De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis tests and received their results?
7. What are your current symptoms, and how has it changed how you perform your activities?
8. What are the locations and intensity of your pain? For instance, does pain vary during the day?
9. What activities are difficult for you because of the symptoms of the disease?
10. How do you reduce your symptoms?

The information allows the therapists to understand what you’re experiencing and what De Quervain’s disease treatment will be right for you. Moreover, it also helps determine the course of your physical exam. For instance, it can begin with observing the region of your symptoms and any movements or positions that cause pain.

In your physical exam, the therapist will perform various steps, such as:

• Measure the flexibility and range of motion of your wrist and thumb.
• Assess the strength of your thumb muscles and grip.
• Identify all the visible spots that may be tender.
• Ask you to make any movements that cause your pain.

Nevertheless, they also perform the Finkelstein test. It gently stretches the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist to see if it causes pain.

Why choose physical therapy rather than surgical treatments?

For patients who seek physical therapies, the results are excellent. However, in the patients who didn’t get treatment, the output is painful, often resulting in disability. The non-surgical treatments are considered safe and effective as they don’t lead to scars or other harmful side effects.

Top 5 physical therapies recommended by the top therapists 

1. Braces, wand, and other assistive devices

You, along with your physical therapist, will decide whether bracing, taping, or using a wand is right for your thumb. The De Quervain’s tape and wand are some of the most effective treatments for De Quervain’s that provide compression to ease pain and swelling.

2. Functional training

Once your pain, strength, and motion improve, you need to safely transition back into more demanding activities. For example, to reduce the stress on your thumb and hand, learn safe and controlled movements. You should also learn simple ways to use and move your body safely and accurately.

3. Manual therapy

Use hands-on treatment to move your joints and muscles gently. It is effective to improve the range of motion. In addition, manual therapy can also guide the wrist region into a less stressful movement pattern. It is ideal to improve the strength that may be limited by your condition.

4. Muscle strengthening

Muscle weaknesses or imbalances contribute to the symptoms of De Quervain’s disease. You can start by performing strengthening exercises in varying positions. It includes using resistance machines or elastic bands at home, at a gym, or in the clinic.

5. Range-of-motion exercises

The limited mobility of your wrist tendons boosts the stress on them. Moreover, the restriction at the areas close to your hand can force other areas to work at a disadvantage. You should follow self-stretching techniques to decrease this tension and restore normal motion with ease.

The bottom line

Unlike non-surgical treatments that lead to injections, damages to the radial nerve, or tenderness on the incision site, choosing De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis physical therapies is your best decision. These therapies include some at-home therapies, such as stretching and avoiding repetitive actions to prevent recurrence of the symptoms.