Complete Information on De Quervains' disease with Treatment and Prevention

Jun 2
07:21

2008

Juliet Cohen

Juliet Cohen

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De Quervain's disease is a term used to describe a painful disorder affecting the tendons at the base of the thumb. Often, the cause is unknown, but overuse, a direct blow to the thumb, repetitive grasping, and certain inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis can all trigger the disease.

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Gardening,Complete Information on De Quervains' disease with Treatment and Prevention Articles racquet sports, and various workplace tasks may also aggravate the condition. This type of speculation should be discouraged without better scientific support, because negative illness concepts increase suffering and feelings of guilt and loss of control at a time when most new mothers can least afford it. The incidence in women may be up to six more times more common than in men. The process is aggravated by activities that require frequent and repetitive abduction and simultaneous ulnar deviation at the wrist.

De Quervain's disease is one of the most common types of tendon-lining inflammation. These tendons are encased in sheaths, or sleeves, through which the tendons slide. The inner wall of the sheaths contains cells that produce a slippery fluid to lubricate the tendons. The majority of de quervain does not occur in new mothers. The fact that de quervain remains idiopathic means that its sufferers are blameless victims of an incompletely understood illness. De Quervain's disease occurs most often in individuals between the ages of 30 and 50. People who engage in repetitive activities requiring sideways motion of the wrist while gripping the thumb, as in hammering, skiing, some assembly line jobs, etc., may be predisposed to developing this disorder.

The circumstance can happen gradually or abruptly, in either lawsuit, the pain may move into the finger or upward the forearm. Thumb movement may be hard and traumatic, especially when pinching or grasping objects. Some folk too see swelling and pain on the position of the wrist at the home of the finger. The pain may increase with finger and wrist movement. Sometimes de Quervain's disease can induce a cyst on the finger position of the wrist. If you wear't have handling, the pain can scatter upward your forearm or downward into your finger. There are no treatments that have been scientifically demonstrated to reduce the length of symptoms, chiefly because there are no dominated technological studies. Things that are tried, without backing, and with incompatible results include immobilization, round the clock anti-inflammatory medications, iontophoresis, and corticosteroid injections.

The test most frequently used to diagnose de Quervain's disease is the finkelstein test. The prevention of De Quervain's disease consists of avoiding excessive movements such as hand and wrist twisting and forceful gripping. Physicians may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the pain and inflammation. Thumb pressure in pushing controls or while typing should also be avoided. If de Quervain's disease does not respond to conservative medical treatment, surgery may be recommended. Surgical release of the tight covering of the tendon eliminates the friction that causes inflammation, restoring the tendons' smooth gliding capability. Surgery for de Quervain's disease is an outpatient procedure. In people whose disease has developed gradually, de Quervain's is usually more resistant to treatment. For these people, it may take longer to find relief.

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