De Quervain’s is an overuse injury of tendons of the thumb, specifically the extensor pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus.
There is usually pain with grasping and when moving the thumb away from the rest of the hand. It is common in nursing mothers from holding the head of their child for extended periods of time. It responds well to ultrasound, deep tissue massage, dry needling and altering activities that aggravate the pain. There may be stiffness in joints underneath the tendons or weakness in thumb and wrist muscles that need to be mobilised and strengthened to help prevent a recurrence of the symptoms. Using a thumb spica splint to immobilize your thumb for more than very short periods of time can make your pain worse. This is due to increased stiffness and weakness of your thumb muscles. More severe cases may require a corticosteroid injection to help the symptoms settle. If you need treatment for thumb pain, book an appointment with e-physiotherapy Edinburgh.
