De Quervain's tenosynovitis

[Caterpillargirl23]

I've been suffering with DQS for about 6 weeks and it's just as painful as it was when it started.
Paracetamol and Ibruprofen don't help, neither does the thumb brace. Ice packs help a bit. I'm doing the exercises.
Does it get better quickly or will it be sudden? Sometimes I think it's on the mend but then I get the sharp pain again.
Any help / advice?

I just suddenly realised one day that I'd forgotten to put my splint on and it wasn't reminding me by sending shooting pains through my wrist.

Steroid injection. Cleared mine up pretty quickly and it never came back.

Have you just had a baby by any chance? I got it terribly after I had my first. It went away eventually but I was encouraged not to do a gripping motion, so for instance pushing a pram I'd put my whole hand over the handle, not grip it with my underneath iyswim. I think you're encouraged not to make a crab like grip, that can help.

Oh sorry, just seen your later reply. It might still be hormonal? Not sure how these things work.

The things people have suggested to immobilise your thumbs do help (but are a massive pain)

I had this and the brace and painkillers were the only things that helped. It took a couple of years to fully trust my thumb again though and once in a blue moon it will twang a little even 12 years later but thankfully only hurts for the day if it does. No quick fix I'm afraid.

Another one who had a steroid injection which permeantly cured it

I suffered for months before.seeing someone, then tried exercises and a splint, neither solved it so OT suggested a steroid injection which the GP was able to do and while initially painful and a miracle cure

Quite jealous of those offered the steroid I section! I had 4 sessions of physio with infared over the wrist and they made the brace but that was it - sent packing and told not to use it and take paracetamol!

I had it a few years ago. Mine was from weightlifting in the gym. I saw a physio for MONTHS (through my work health insurance) and wore a brace when exercising etc but no change. Eventually my insurer agreed to a referral for a steroid injection (I had to be VERY pushy to get this) and that fixed it. I did have a steroid flare afterwards so it was really painful for the first few days but after that the pain disappeared. It's never come back but occasionally I feel a twinge and then I'm very careful how I use my hand/grip for a few days and it goes away (so far so good anyway!)

Anyone know why there's a reluctance to offer a steroid injection straight away? It seems most people are suffering for months before it feels better. If this lasted a couple of weeks with exercises and a brace that would be fine, but this is a long term thing. The physio didn't say 'if it still hurts after 4 weeks, see the GP' or similar.

I had it about 20 years ago. Wore a brace and had ultrasound from the physio - never came back

The steroid injection isn't a long term fix (they say it works for a max of 12 months IF it works - it doesn't work for everyone) and you should still do exercises to strengthen the tendons whether you have the injection or not or it may reoccur. The injection isn't cheap so it's not surprising that both the NHS and private insurers aren't keen on offering it until it's proven that physio and a brace isn't sufficient to resolve it. My bill (covered by insurer) was just under £2k and that doesn't include any physio.

I had this after each childbirth. Only just got rid of it (I think!). It seems the way I was holding each baby was setting it off. It would flare up where I'd be in tears over the pain that nothing took away, then it'd just niggle fortnight, then I'd do something to set it off again.

I took ibuprofen and wore various wrist supports. Hope it settles for you soon.

I had this after my first baby. It was excruciating and I couldn't hold her. Went to the GP who diagnosed it and referred me to physio, with a waiting list of many weeks. I paid for a private consultation and treatment: wrist/thumb guards made for me to prevent me using my thumbs and steroid injections. This all did the trick pretty much immediately.