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De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis, often referred to as De Quervain’s syndrome, is a condition that affects the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. The main symptoms are pain and swelling at the base of the thumb, especially when you move your thumb or wrist. While it may seem tempting to stretch or massage the thumb to relieve the pain, it’s important to understand why this may not be effective in the long term.

Why Stretching May Not Help
The pain associated with De Quervain's syndrome is primarily due to inflammation of the tendons and their surrounding sheaths, rather than tightness in the muscles or tendons. Stretching might provide temporary relief because it can create a feeling of looseness, but it does not address the underlying cause, which is inflammation and sometimes degeneration of the tendons themselves. Over-stretching can even irritate the condition further, causing the inflammation to worsen and the symptoms to persist.

What Works: Targeted Isometric and Putty Exercises
The best way to manage and improve De Quervain’s syndrome is to focus on strengthening and stabilizing the tendons, rather than stretching. Here are some effective exercises:

Isometric Thumb Extension:
This exercise involves pressing the thumb against a stable surface or your other hand without moving the thumb. The goal is to create tension without causing additional movement that could aggravate the tendons.
This can help improve strength and reduce inflammation over time.

Isometric Thumb Abduction:
Similar to the thumb extension, this exercise targets the muscles and tendons responsible for moving the thumb away from the palm (abduction).
Again, isometric exercises help strengthen the muscles without increasing the risk of strain.

Putty Thumb Extension:
Using therapeutic putty to resist thumb extension helps to build strength in a controlled manner, reducing the load on the tendons during functional movements.

Putty Thumb Abduction:
Resisting thumb abduction using putty targets the specific muscles involved in this motion, improving stability and reducing pain.

Putty Thumb Opposition:
This exercise targets the thumb's ability to move toward the other fingers (opposition), which is essential for gripping tasks. Strengthening these movements can help alleviate stress on the thumb tendons.

Putty Finger Spread:
Strengthening the other fingers can help to offload some of the pressure on the thumb, improving overall hand function and reducing strain on the inflamed tendons.

Why These Exercises Work
These exercises focus on strengthening the tendons and muscles around the thumb and wrist, promoting healing, reducing inflammation, and improving the function of the thumb without overstretching or irritating the tendons. By increasing the stability and strength of the muscles, the tendons are less likely to become overloaded and inflamed, which is the core problem in De Quervain's syndrome.

If you're experiencing symptoms of De Quervain’s syndrome, it's important to consult with a healthcare provider, such as a physical therapist or hand specialist, who can guide you through the appropriate exercises and possibly recommend other treatments like rest, splinting, or anti-inflammatory measures.

Let me know if you'd like more details on any of these exercises!

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The information provided in this video is intended as general information and not a substitute for individual medical advice regarding your medical condition. To the extent permitted by law, neither Performance Sport & Spine, nor any of our officers, employees, agents or related bodies corporate will be liable in any way (including for negligence) for any loss, damage, costs or expenses suffered by you or claims made against you through your use of, or in connection with, this video or information supplied or offered to be supplied on this video. Although we use our best efforts to provide accurate information and other materials on this video, the video is provided “as-is”. To the extent permitted by law, all warranties, conditions and representations provided about or by this video are excluded. Redmond, WA Chiropractic