De Quervain’s Treatment: Medical Therapy and Surgery
A painful condition that affects the muscles at the base of your thumb is called De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. It happens when the 2 muscles at the base of your thumb get inflamed. This puts pressure on nearby muscles, causing pain and numbness.
De Quervain’s treatment
de Quervain’s treatment aims at minimizing swelling and preventing the movement in the thumb and its recurrence. If you are diagnosed with early De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis and have started the treatment early, the symptoms will improve within four to six weeks. If de Quervain’s tenosynovitis occurs during pregnancy, the symptoms will likely end any time at the end of pregnancy or the breastfeeding phase.
There is three De Quervain’s treatment that you can opt based on the severity of the symptoms.
Medications
Your healthcare provider will recommend using over-the-counter pain relievers, including ibuprofen and naproxen, to minimize pain and inflammation.
Your doctor also prescribes injections of corticosteroid medications into the muscle to lessen swelling. If the treatment starts within the first six months of symptoms, most people get well completely after getting corticosteroid jabs, often after just one injection.
Therapy
Initially, de Quervain’s treatment may include:
· Immobilizing thumb and wrist tape that help keep your thumb a wrist straight with a tape or brace to help rest your muscles
· Preventing tedious thumb motion as much as possible
· preventing pinching with your thumb while moving your wrist from side to side
· Put on ice on the affected area.
You will also visit a physical or occupational therapist. These physical therapists instruct you on how to use your wrist and make lifestyle changes to relieve stress on your wrists. The therapist will also teach you different exercises for your wrist, hand, and arm to stretch your muscles, reduce pain, and limit muscle irritation.
Surgery
If your condition is more serious, your therapist will recommend outpatient surgery. Surgery includes a practice in which the doctor reviews the tissues surrounded by the muscles and then opens the covering to release the pressure so that your muscles can move freely.
The doctor will talk about how to rest, support, and rehabilitate your body after surgery. In addition, a physical therapist will meet with you after surgery to teach you different strengthening exercises to help you adjust your daily routine and prevent future problems.
De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is a temporary medical condition that generally reciprocates well to de Quervain’s treatment. However, it is crucial to treat De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. If the condition isn’t treated, it permanently limits the movement of your thumb and causes the muscle sheath to burst. Once your symptoms are better, perform different hand exercises to prevent the condition from happening again.
