About Wrist Tendonitis
Wrist tendonitis is a condition where the tendons of the wrist have become inflamed. Tendons in your wrist connect your hand to your forearm muscles. They can become inflamed through repetitive motions such as typing and gripping objects. Other causes may include injuries experienced while playing sports. Risk factors include diseases such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.
A common form of wrist tendonitis is de Quervain’s tendinitis. This refers to tendonitis of the tendons near your thumb. Ulnar tendinitis is another type that affects the tendons on the pinkie side of your hand.
Symptoms of wrist tendonitis include pain with movement and stiffness of the wrist joint.
Non-surgical treatment may include the following:
- Rest: To give the tendons a chance to recover.
- Ice application: To reduce inflammation and encourage blood flow.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: To reduce inflammation and pain.
- Anti-inflammatory medication: This may include steroid injections to reduce inflammation.
- Physical therapy: To regain strength and mobility of the tendons.
- Bracing: To support the affected tendons.
With treatment and lifestyle modifications, most people are able to improve their symptoms and return to their normal activities. However, if these treatments do not work or symptoms worsen, surgery may be required.
Types of Wrist Tendonitis Surgery
Your surgeon may use open surgery to access the wrist tendons. The incision size will depend on the condition being treated and whether other structures will need treatment. This type of surgery is a good option when treating an injured tendon along with its surrounding sheaths, membranes, and other structures.
Surgery procedures for wrist tendonitis include the following:
- Debridement: The diseased tissue is removed to alleviate pain and improve function.
- Tendon sheath release: Your surgeon can release constrictive scar tissue from around the swollen tendons.
- Tenosynovectomy: The wrist tendon is released from surrounding inflammatory tissue and the inflammatory tissue is removed.
Who Is a Candidate?
Surgical treatment is sometimes necessary to treat wrist tendonitis. You may be a candidate for surgery if the following is true:
- Symptoms persist for 3 to 6 months despite nonsurgical treatments.
- Your tendon injury is likely to put you at an increased risk of further damage tears in the future.
- Your wrist tendon has degenerated and non-surgical treatment has not helped.
Recovery From Wrist Tendonitis Surgery
After wrist tendonitis surgery, you may take pain medication in order to relieve pain. Hand therapy from an occupational therapist may help you recover movements necessary for daily living.
Full recovery usually takes around 3 to 4 weeks. However, this will depend on how severe your symptoms are, what caused the inflammation, and how well you stuck to physical therapy.
Book Your Appointment Today
If you have wrist tendonitis and non-surgical treatments are not easing your symptoms, give us a call to schedule an appointment and discuss your treatment options. Our team of doctors at Georgia Hand, Shoulder & Elbow provides the kind of quality care you can trust. You can find us in Atlanta or Marietta, GA.
