“When swelling in the tendons at the base of the thumb exerts pressure on the nearby nerves and causes pain and numbness in the thumb towards the wrist end reaching up to the forearm, it is referred to as De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis”, ponders Dr. Gupta while speaking about the condition. “See, there are two tendons at the base of the thumb which are covered by a soft layer which makes it easy for them to run through the sheath. With pressure or stress the tendons sometimes get damaged and cause loss of motion”, he exerts.
The patient should consult our medical team >> click here for appointment
At present an integral part of Max Healthcare, Dr. Gupta eminently puts forth his conceptions concerning De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis, “Any pain at the base of the thumb with a kind of bulge formation should be immediately consulted as leaving it untreated can cause permanent loss of motion in the thumb and tendon sheath to burst.”
An MBBS and MS Ortho from AIIMS, Dr. Gupta has completed his higher analysis in hand and upper extremity from Germany and USA.
The patient should consult our medical team >> click here for appointment
“There are no imaging tests required to ascertain the condition rather can be concluded with a simple test called Finkelstein test”, says Dr. Gupta with emphasis that, “ pregnant women and more so middle aged should be alert as they are the most susceptible group besides those that have repeated use of the thumb.”
Though more than thousands of surgeries and 20 years of experience makes him adept at handling complex cases he still treats all his cases with a diligent and passionate approach, “I have treated many patients with De Quervain’s with both conservative techniques and by surgery and in general have observed that though non surgical techniques are effective in mild pain, a cut in the tendon sheath is the best treatment for severe damage. The patient should take extreme precaution to curtail activities that involve repeated overuse of thumb and keep on with exercises to provide relief to the tendons.”
FAQ – De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
There are two tendons at the base of the thumb that connects it to the wrist. Tendons are structures which act as connectors between muscles and bones and are covered by a slippery, soft, thin layer called synovium which enables the tendons to slide easily through a fibrous tunnel. When these tendons swell and rub against the narrow covering through which they run, a painful and enervating condition occurs which is termed as De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis.