Kristen Bozza and Taylor Wong

Anatomy  De Quervain’s involves the tendons abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis.

Description of injury  De Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful inflammation of the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist.

Mechanism of injury  Chronic overuse of your wrist  Direct injury to your wrist or tendon; scar tissue can restrict movement of the tendons  Inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis

Treatment  For less severe inflammation you could:  Immobilizing your thumb and wrist, in a splint or brace  Applying ice to the affected area  Using ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, and Aleve.  Cortisone shots can be used to reduce pain.  Surgery is used to open the sheath to release the pressure.  Physical therapy is used after surgery to regain strength.

Recovery  The recovery time for surgery is about one month. The stiches and splint are only necessary after 2 weeks.  Strengthening and work conditioning activities beginning at 6 weeks after surgery to tolerance  The surgical area of the wrist will likely be tender for 3-4 months after surgery and my stay swollen for a couple of months.