It is a painful condition of the wrist. Pain is at the lower end of the wrist at the root of the thumb. Wrist movements become painful particularly, when rotation with fore is required eg. Opening & closing of a water tap or squeezing or wringing of clothes. There may be swelling at the lower end of radius which is painful to touch.
Sometimes it appears during third trimester of pregnancy, but settles down of its own after delivery. De Quervain’s stenosing tenosynovitis affects the tendon sheath of abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis at the radial styloid process. Tenderness & swelling at the wrist are suggestive, but Finkelstein’s test diagnostic. (Ask the patient to close wrist with thumb in palm give a sudden ulnar jerk to the wrist, patient stands up with pain) Crepitus or a tendon nodule may cause triggering. Management: Rest is essential, with avoidance of…
