Thread: De Quervain's Tendonitis?

I shouldn't even be typing right now, I should be icing and using my Rehab Can o' Juice as a tiny weight to do my wrist exercises. Doc says no zilling and nix the wrist circles until I've built up to 4 sets of 10 with a 2 pound weight.

Any of y'all feel my pain?

I certainly do! I've had tendonitis in my knees, hips, elbows... you name it! Never in my wrists though. Acupuncture works amazingly well for me--one session is usually enough to clear it up. Before I discovered the wonders of the needle, I would have to sit sidelined for months waiting for it to heal! Just offering it as an option--everyone's different.

~~Sending you healing vibes!!~~

Thanks, Aazura! You know, my dad did acupuncture for something else and it worked great-- I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Glad to hear it works for you. Tendonitis in the hips must be the worst!

Actually, it was/is the knees that are the worst. I once had it in both knees and it completely debilitated me for weeks!

Give it a stab, so to speak. If your insurance doesn't cover it, see if there's a student clinic you can go to. I go the acupuncture school here and it costs me $20 a session. Can't go wrong with that!

I've had both wrists operated on for De Quervain's. The right hand was because of a lovely chi strike I made to a large hole punch. The left hand was from hooking my thumb the wrong way on my fencing equipment bag. (The only "serious" injury I ever got from fencing.) Basically, the membrane around the tendon that goes up to the thumb gets swollen and it hurts like hell to move your thumb.

Usually, the doctor will give you a cortisone shot in the tendon. Then put you in an awkward brace that immobilizes your thumb. Just your thumb. I am pretty sure, if you do it right, you can keep your thumbs still and still zill. The brace won't match any costume, though, unless you take a Bedazzler to it.

Cortisone shots didn't work for me. But, good news, surgery is actually not bad at all unless they put your bandages on too tight. (That happened the second time around.) I was in a bandage after surgery for a shorter time than I was in the brace after the shots. I was back at work a day later and typing some what normally (the space-bar was a bit of a *****).

But once they nip at that membrane, you don't have to worry about it again. I fenced for years after both surgeries with no problems.