De Quervain tenosynovitis (also known as De Quervain’s disease) as well as carpal tunnel syndrome belong to the group of so-called overuse injuries. This is a manifestation of prolonged repetitive trauma (microtrauma) of the tendons of thumb muscles and the radial nerve. The problem is usually seen in people who do repetitive forceful grasp together with ulnar deviation. E.g. wrist in playing tennis (squash) or repetitive use of thumb in work-related situations. Another affected group are young mothers, who carry their babies a lot. They force their hand into wrist flexion along with ulnar extension, while holding baby's head.

De Quervain Disease Symptoms

People usually complain of numbness and pain in their wrists. Pain is localized to the radial aspect of the wrist (inflammation of the tendons of the thumb muscles) and first dorsal compartment. Without treatment the condition will get worse.

De Quervain Disease Treatment

Treatment includes immobilization (splints) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Wrist splints stabilize the wrist in proper position, preventing the furher damage. It usually takes 6-8 weeks. A lot of physicians think that sterioid injection is the best and fastest treatment. Physical therapy today supposed to be the basic treatment of De Quervain tenosynovitis. This includes manual therapy and special modalities, such as cold laser and electrical stimulation. The goal is to reduce inflamation, swelling and pain.

Physical Therapy for De Quervain Disease

1. Manual therapy of the forehand and the wrist (10-12 minutes) every other day or 3 times a week.
2. Laser Therapy (e.g. ML 830® Laser) 5-6 minutes 10 times together with manual therapy.
3. Electrical stimulation of the radial part of the wrist - 10 times for 6-8 minutes.

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