De-quervain's tenosynovitis - anyone had this?

[Jen1978]

Hi
I have de-quervain's tenosynovitis in my right wrist. It started after DS1 was born, think it was from bf and holding him in funny positions, it got worse as I started to carry him around a lot. I have had two lots of cortisone injections into the tnedon sheath (about 7 months apart) and they worked a treat. It is now about 7 months since the last injection and it has come back with avengence. The GP said last time that he can only inject it twice, so if it came back I;d have to be referred to an orthopedic surgeon.
DS1 is now 20 months, and whilst I do not carry him around much, it is all the incidental carrying like into and out of the car seat, the buggy, into cot, nappy changes etc. It has now got so bad it hurts so much to write, use scissors, peal veg or even move my thumb away from the rest of my fingers.
I would love to hear from anyone who has had the same problem, I really do not want to have surgery - can't see how I could look after DS, also we are thinking about trying for number two any day so surgery not really an option. Also if i have another baby, is it going to only come back anyway?
It is really getting me down now.

Have you had any physio for it? I don't know about your specific condition but I have tendonitis more or less chronically. I got it under control and can now keep it controlled through physio exercises. Cannot recommend good physio enough - ask GP for referral.

Mr friend over the road is a physio and ironically had the same prob, but hers got better and has not returned. She said that basically there is not really any point in physio, can;t actually stop the inflammation onece it has started.

yes, I had it. Do you wear a splint overnight? That was a lifesaver for me.

It won't go away until you stop picking him up (I think that's what makes it a lot worse). Mine eventually started getting better when my youngest was about 4 and I still get the odd twinge every now and then and the youngest is 7.

It's that grip where you open your thumb away from your hand to pick up that damages it so.

If you haven't got the splints, you should get them now. They are like a strapping but with a rigid bit where your wrist goes to keep it straight.

oh and you have my sympathies. It is mindbogglingly painful. Ouch!

foxinsocks, thankyou for the response! Yes I have got a splnt - friend over the road who is the physio gave it to me. It is not a thumb spica one (where the thumb is immobilised, just a wrist support) does this matter? Yes, I have been wearning it at night and it is amazing - I can get comfortable to sleep at least! Yes, it is that grip with the thumb away from the hand that causes it, I am trying not to do it but i think the damage is done. Did you ever have any cotrisone injections? not sure I can bear this for much longer.

I know it seems ridiculous to come back on this when you've got a physio neighbour who said it wouldn't help, but I have had good and bad physiotherapy on mine - the bad was worse than useless and based on addressing the inflammation. The good really helped and was far more about building up other muscle groups and addressing the root cause of the damage. (Bad physio at a private clinic, good through NHS, in my case)

It is true that physio won't address the inflammation itself, but it will strengthen the surrounding muscles, which support the joint. The compensation that you make for the painful joint throws all the other muscles out and makes further injury more likely. My physio also addressed why I'd got the problem in the first place (a knock on effect of holding my body awkwardly that originated, oddly enough in a stiff neck vertebra). Immobilisation in a splint will also weaken surrounding muscles so it can be helpful to counteract this. I was really really sceptical before starting the physio but it made such a tremendous difference.

when it was really bad, I wore the splint during the day quite a bit though I'm not sure I was supposed to. I don't know if there are splints that work better than others but if that one gives you relief then I guess it's doing its job. Mine also doesn't entirely immobilise the thumb but maybe they aren't supposed to?

I actually cannot remember if I had the injection. My children are only 14-15 months apart so I think I was already pregnant with no.2 when it was hideous but I was definitely given something for it in my wrist.

I'm afraid it was only after I'd finished having my children and stopped carrying them that it got better so I think if you are going to have another one, you might have to wait a bit for it to improve without the op. Sorry to say that.

Out of interest, did you get SPD too? I always wondered if they were connected (as I had that at the same time).

(also they did tell me the op was very simple but I also just never felt like going for it, especially as there was a good chance it would go away once the chlidren were older. By the way, I still get days now when it is bad but not like it was when I was still having to use it all the time!)

Yes I did have SPD. Interesting!