Category: Blog

So, you were playing your favorite video game when your thumb and wrist started hurting. Your thumb is killing you, and you had to stop the game altogether. You were told it is De Quervain's Disease, also known as Gamers Thumb. Or maybe, you were busy sending a text message, and you felt an awful shot of pain in your thumb, again you were told it is De Quervain's Tenosynovitis which is also called Texting Thumb. What is causing all this pain, and how do you get rid of it? The pain is caused by the inflammation of the two tendons that control the movement of your thumbs. This inflammation makes using the wrist and thumb extremely difficult. The repetitive motion of the thumbs or wrist is what causes De…

What is De Quervain's Tenosynovitis? De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is a condition that affects the wrist on the thumb side of the hand. The condition is excruciating and makes using the wrist or hand difficult. The two tendons in the wrist that control movement, become inflamed due to repetitive motions. De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is most likely to be contracted by women who have young children. The constant motion of picking up and putting down their children causes the condition. It is also common in people who regularly play video games, which is because of the thumbs’ motion when using the video games console remote.  How is De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis treated? There are several treatments available for De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. Doctors will usually prescribe an anti-inflammatory pain killer to patients. They will…

Is this you, do your thumbs hurt when you send texts? Are you in pain when you are sending text messages? Then you may be suffering from texting thumb, which is scientifically known as De Quervain's Tenosynovitis. Texting thumb is caused by the repetitive motion of the thumbs going up and down while creating a text. This motion puts pressure on the two tendons in the wrist, causing them to swell and become inflamed. The inflammation of those two tendons is what causes pain and discomfort. De Quervain's Tenosynovitis is common in people who play racket sports, golf, and any other hobbies that involve repetitive motions. In fact, De Quervain's is the second most common ailment that we suffer for wrist or thumb conditions, behind the trigger finger. The great…

Let us look into the mystery that is De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is a painful condition that affects the wrists on the thumb side of the hand. The disease is caused by repetitive motion like playing video games, hitting a tennis ball with a tennis racket, or sending text messages on a cell phone. De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis occurs when the two main tendons, the abductor pollicis longus, and extensor pollicis brevis, become inflamed. The inflammation of these tendons makes movements extremely difficult and very painful. If untreated, the tendon sheaths in the wrist can burst, or actions in the wrist can be permanently affected. De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is the second most common entrapment tendinopathy behind the trigger finger. It is more common in middle-aged adults ranging from 30…

What is it that could be causing your thumbs to hurt when you use them? Are your thumbs tender and starting to swell up, or do they lock as you attempt to do anything? There are several different reasons for a thumb to be hurting during use, let’s look at the top three.  Arthritis When the cartilage in the carpometacarpal joint wears away, it causes arthritis in the thumbs. Arthritis causes swelling, stiffness, and swelling of the thumb; this makes movements more difficult. Arthritis is most commonly found in people 40 years old and above, or those with previous injuries to the thumb. The best way to treat thumb arthritis is to ice the area for 5 to 15 minutes and take an anti-inflammatory to ease the swelling. The use…

Mommy’s thumb is a condition caused by repetitive movements that cause inflammation to the tendons in the wrist and thumb. Mommy’s thumb is scientifically known as De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis and is common in mothers of babies and infants. The repetitive motion of lifting babies in and out of car seats, strollers, or cribs is known to cause mommy’s thumb. It is also caused by lifting and carrying toddlers, along with any other repeated movement. Mommy’s thumb or De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is a painful condition that is best treated early on. The situation worsens as the repetitive motion continues, and can lead to long term damage. The most common treatment is an anti-inflammatory pain killer and rest, allowing the tendons the chance to self-heal. A brace or splint is recommended to…

What on earth is De Quervain's disease, and how do I avoid it? This is where we need to start. De Quervain's disease is a painful condition that causes inflammation, swelling, pain, and discomfort in the wrists. The state is caused by repetitive movements that put pressure on the two tendons in the wrist. The swelling and pain make it very difficult for the movement of the wrists. To avoid contracting De Quervain's disease, you need to avoid repetitive motions that involve your wrists and thumbs. If you start to feel discomfort in these areas, take a break for a couple of days and allow them to recover fully.  De Quervain's Disease is not contagious, as repetitive movements cause it. Mothers of young children usually suffer it; this is because…

De Quervain’s disease will not heal on its own. As a repetitive movement causes it; if the action is repeated, then the symptoms will not only continue, they will worsen. On the occasion of De Quervain’s disease not being treated, there have been cases of the pain spreading up through the arm. Without treatment, De Quervain’s disease will have long term effects on the overall movement of the wrists and hands. As De Quervain affects the tendons, pain can be experienced when making simple gestures like making a fist, turning the wrist, or grasping something.  De Quervain’s can be treated at home, merely ceasing the repetitive movement that caused the issue is the best form of treatment. Utilizing the RICE treatment, when self-caring is most effective, this stands for rest,…

The name De Quervain Tenosynovitis originated in 1895 from Swiss surgeon Fritz de Quervain, who diagnosed five patients with thickened and tender wrists. The disease then took on his name as De Quervain Tenosynovitis, which it has been known as ever since. It has also been known under numerous titles, including De Quervain’s disease and De Quervain’s syndrome. De Quervain thyroiditis was also named after Fritz de Quervain but is an entirely different condition. De Quervain Tenosynovitis is caused by repetitive motions that strain the tendon sheaths in the wrists. The tendons and their sheaths become swollen and painful, making movement difficult. Due to the nature of the disease and common causes, it is also known under the following names: BlackBerry Thumb: This is due to the BlackBerry phone, where…

Little is known about De Quervain’s disease, even though it is one of the more common inflammation of the tendons. Because of this, numerous questions are continually arising.  Here is a list of the most commonly asked questions: What is De Quervain’s disease? De Quervain’s disease is a painful condition that affects the wrist on the thumb side. The most common symptoms are swelling thumb tendons, difficulty in movements of the thumb, extreme pain, and discomfort. What causes De Quervain’s disease? De Quervain’s disease is caused by continuous or repetitive motion regularly. The repetitive motion can cause the tendon sheaths to swell and thicken, which prevents movement. Typical sufferers of De Quervain’s are mothers, from lifting their children, golfers, the swinging of the golf club, and racket sport players, from…