HAND | DE QUERVAIN'S
De Quervain's Tenosynovitis: Thumb-Side Wrist Pain
The sharp pain at the base of your thumb every time you lift, grip or pick up your baby has a name, a quick diagnosis, and two very effective treatments. Consultant-led care at Berkshire Grove Hospital.
Diagnosis
One simple test
Injection
Minutes, same visit
Surgery
15 to 20 minutes
Anaesthetic
Local
Is this you?
Most People Who Come To Us With De Quervain's Tenosynovitis Say One Of These Things:
Lifting my baby sends a stab of pain up the side of my wrist.
Wringing a towel, pouring the kettle, opening jars: all the twisting things hurt.
There's a tender spot right where my thumb meets my wrist.
Sometimes it catches or squeaks when I move my thumb.
It started while I was pregnant, and everyone said it would go.
I can't rest my hands. I have a baby.
That last one is the honest heart of it: the standard advice is rest, and the people most affected can't. Which is exactly why the injection, which works around your life instead of pausing it, is usually the right early move.
THE INFLAMED TUNNEL
What Is De Quervain's Tenosynovitis?
De Quervain's tenosynovitis is inflammation of the tunnel carrying two thumb tendons along the thumb side of the wrist. The swollen tunnel pinches the tendons as they glide, causing sharp pain with gripping, lifting and twisting, tenderness over the wrist's thumb-side edge, and sometimes catching or creaking.
It's strongly associated with repetitive lifting, and famously with new parenthood ("mummy thumb"): the repeated scoop-lift of a baby, hormonal changes and fluid shifts of pregnancy all contribute, and fathers and grandparents get it from the same lifting. It also follows repetitive work and phone-heavy thumb use. It isn't arthritis, and it doesn't damage the joint.
It's strongly associated with repetitive lifting, and famously with new parenthood ("mummy thumb"): the repeated scoop-lift of a baby, hormonal changes and fluid shifts of pregnancy all contribute, and fathers and grandparents get it from the same lifting. It also follows repetitive work and phone-heavy thumb use. It isn't arthritis, and it doesn't damage the joint.
KNOW THE SIGNS
Do I Have It? The Tuck-Your-Thumb Test
The pain lives on the thumb side of the wrist, sometimes radiating into the thumb or up the forearm, and it's provoked by lifting with the thumb up, wringing, pouring and gripping. Swelling and tenderness sit directly over the tendon tunnel at the wrist's edge, and some patients feel catching or creaking as the thumb moves.
The classic self-check is Finkelstein's test: tuck your thumb into your fist and tilt the wrist toward the little finger; sharp pain on the thumb side is strongly suggestive. Two neighbours can confuse the picture: base of thumb arthritis sits deeper and grinds with age, and a ganglion is a visible lump. Examination separates them in minutes.
The classic self-check is Finkelstein's test: tuck your thumb into your fist and tilt the wrist toward the little finger; sharp pain on the thumb side is strongly suggestive. Two neighbours can confuse the picture: base of thumb arthritis sits deeper and grinds with age, and a ganglion is a visible lump. Examination separates them in minutes.
The tuck-your-thumb test: fold the thumb into your fist and tilt the wrist away. If that reproduces your pain, you've probably just diagnosed yourself, and confirmed it's very treatable.
Apex Medical
Expert care for the
Hardest-working part of you.
THE TREATMENT LADDER
Splint, Injection, Or Release
Splinting and activity adjustment (a thumb spica splint, lifting technique changes: scoop with palms, not thumbs) settle mild, early cases.
Steroid injection into the tendon tunnel is the standout treatment here: it resolves the large majority of cases, often within a couple of weeks, can be done at your first visit, and is compatible with continuing to care for a baby. Breastfeeding considerations are discussed honestly; a single local steroid injection is generally considered compatible, and your consultant will talk it through properly.
Release surgery opens the tight tunnel roof: 15 to 20 minutes under local anaesthetic, reserved for the minority whose symptoms persist or return after injection, and highly reliable when needed.
Steroid injection into the tendon tunnel is the standout treatment here: it resolves the large majority of cases, often within a couple of weeks, can be done at your first visit, and is compatible with continuing to care for a baby. Breastfeeding considerations are discussed honestly; a single local steroid injection is generally considered compatible, and your consultant will talk it through properly.
Release surgery opens the tight tunnel roof: 15 to 20 minutes under local anaesthetic, reserved for the minority whose symptoms persist or return after injection, and highly reliable when needed.
Consultant-led care
Led by a Hand & Nerve
Specialist You Can Trust.
Apex Medical was founded by Mr Kuen Yeow Chin, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Plastic Surgery at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. Hand and nerve surgery, including De Quervain's releas, is one of his defining specialisms, and he is a member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH).
Your consultation, your procedure and your follow-up are with the same consultant throughout: the surgeon who assesses your arm is the surgeon who treats it.
Your consultation, your procedure and your follow-up are with the same consultant throughout: the surgeon who assesses your arm is the surgeon who treats it.
Your clinical team:
Mr. Kuen Yeow Chin
Consultant Plastic Surgeon & Skin Cancer Specialist
Reconstructive surgery and advanced skin cancer treatment
Sarah Millward
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin checks, mole screening, and early skin cancer detection.
Laura O'Hare
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin lesion care, post-surgical recovery, and private dermatology services.
Jackie Brighton
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Expert mole checks, lesion assessment, and aftercare for skin cancer patients.
Jennifer Povey
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin care treatment, photodynamic therapy (PDT), cryotheraphy, and personalised patient care.
Mr. Kuen Yeow Chin
Consultant Plastic Surgeon & Skin Cancer Specialist
Reconstructive surgery and advanced skin cancer treatment
YOUR CARE, STEP BY STEP
How Your De Quervain's Tenosynovitis Treatment Works
Most patients are diagnosed and treated at the same first visit, then simply get better. The steps below cover the whole journey, including the surgical rung most people never need.
A
Consultation
Diagnosis is clinical and quick; no scans in typical cases.
B
Injection, Usually Same Visit
Most patients leave treated, with a splint plan and lifting technique guidance.
C
Review
Most cases settle and stay settled. If yours doesn't, or returns, the conversation moves honestly to surgery.
D
Release Surgery, If Needed
A short incision over the tunnel, the roof released, tendons gliding freely; local anaesthetic, home within the hour.
E
Recovery
Light use within days, dressing off and stitches out at 10 to 14 days, lifting rebuilt progressively over two to four weeks, with baby-handling workarounds discussed practically, not theoretically.
Transparent Pricing
De Quervain's Pricing
Fixed, transparent pricing with no hidden extras. Your exact quote is confirmed in writing at consultation, before you commit to anything, and includes your follow-up care.
Initial Consultation
Consultant diagnosis, clinical and quick, with your options laid out the same day.
£x
Steroid Injection
The standout treatment for De Quervain's, usually possible at your first visit, and compatible with continuing to care for a baby.
from £500
Release Surgery
Fixed all-inclusive package: 15 to 20 minutes under local anaesthetic for the minority whose symptoms persist, follow-up included.
£x
Ongoing Care
Recovery and Aftercare
After injection: carry on with your life, with a splint for loaded tasks and the palm-scoop lifting technique protecting the tunnel while it settles, usually within one to two weeks. After surgery: light use within days, dressing off and stitches out at 10 to 14 days, and lifting rebuilt progressively over two to four weeks, with baby-handling workarounds discussed practically rather than theoretically.
Recurrence after surgery is uncommon; after injection it's possible, and if it happens you'll be seen quickly with the next rung already mapped. Scar tenderness on the wrist's edge settles over weeks with simple massage.
Recurrence after surgery is uncommon; after injection it's possible, and if it happens you'll be seen quickly with the next rung already mapped. Scar tenderness on the wrist's edge settles over weeks with simple massage.
Where to find us
Consultant-led care at Berkshire Grove Hospital
Apex Medical is based at Berkshire Grove Hospital in Maidenhead, with clinics also at the Parkside Suite. Patients travel to us from Reading, Windsor, Slough, Marlow, Bracknell, London and across Berkshire, Surrey and Oxfordshire for consultant-led care in a regulated private hospital, without long waiting times. On-site parking is available.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm | Saturday by appointment only | Sunday closed
Phone
020 3871 5898
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about De Quervain's Tenosynovitis at Apex Medical
Post-pregnancy cases often do settle over months as hormones and lifting patterns change, but "months" is a long time to be in pain with a growing baby. Treatment shortens the story dramatically, which is why acting early is reasonable, not impatient.
A single local steroid injection is generally considered compatible with breastfeeding; your consultant will discuss it properly rather than waving it through or scaring you off.
It resolves the large majority of cases, often within one to two weeks. Some need a second; a persistent minority move on to surgery, which then fixes it reliably.
No, and that assumption keeps people suffering. The injection works alongside real life, and technique changes (palm scooping, forearm carrying) protect the tunnel without you stopping anything.
A 15 to 20 minute release of the tendon tunnel under local anaesthetic. It's a small, reliable operation with a quick recovery, held in reserve because the injection usually makes it unnecessary.
No. De Quervain's is a tendon-tunnel problem, not a joint problem, and it leaves no lasting damage once settled. Thumb-base arthritis is a separate condition, and examination distinguishes them immediately.
Patient Stories.
In our patients' own words
BOOK A CONSULTATION
Pick Your Baby Up Without Bracing For It
Most De Quervain's patients are treated at their first visit and better within weeks. Book a consultation, bring the baby if you need to, and leave with the fix underway.
Consultant-led private skin, hands and aesthetic care across Berkshire. Precise, caring and expert.