De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is more prevalent in women, especially those over 40.
Hormonal changes associated with menopause and pregnancy are also related to the risk of developing this condition, as they can cause fluid retention and, consequently, tendons to lock due to swelling.
Main symptoms:
The most common tenosynovitis symptoms include:
– Pain along the course of your tendon
– Swelling around your tendon
– Difficulty moving a part of your body like you usually can
– Pain when moving a part of your body
– Discoloration in a straight line along a tendon
Over time, symptoms may appear gradually and often occur in areas more prone to injury, such as the hands, feet or wrists.
However, tenosynovitis can affect any tendon in the body, including those in the shoulder, knee or elbow, for example.
What causes tenosynovitis?
Tenosynovitis causes include:
– Autoimmune diseases. Any condition where your body’s defenses attack itself can cause damage to your synovial membrane.
– Overuse. Repeating one movement or motion constantly over a long period of time can lead to overuse syndrome. The damage from overuse syndrome often includes tenosynovitis.
– Infections. Many common infections can spread to your synovial membrane and lead to infectious tenosynovitis.
– Trauma. Any injury or accident that damages your tendons or the area around them can cause tenosynovitis.
Management and Treatment
How is tenosynovitis treated?
How tenosynovitis is treated depends on what’s causing it. Tenosynovitis treatment can include:
– Rest and stopping the activity that caused the tenosynovitis
– Wearing a brace or splint to reduce stress on your tendon
– Applying heat or cold to the area to reduce pain or inflammation
– Oral steroids or steroid injections to calm down the inflammation
– Hand therapy to help decrease swelling and improve range of motion
– Surgery if an infection caused the tenosynovitis, or to open up areas of tightness that are restricting your tendons from moving normally
Your provider will tell you which specific treatments you’ll need based on how severe your symptoms are.