Wrist pain starting a few weeks after lifting your newborn baby!. Over the last 30 years of practice, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve diagnosed DeQuervaine’s disease/syndrome. Although it might have been rare in a Chiropractors’ office, there are over 200,000 cases per year.
Last week, a young couple with a newborn came into my White Plains Chiropractic
office for wrist pain. The mom, a 35-year-old otherwise healthy woman was suffering
from acute and severe wrist pain just at the angle of her wrist, and at the base of the
thumb. The pain she says started a few weeks ago. She has a 3-month old beautiful
boy whom she carries, cuddles, lifts, changes, all day long. He’s only going to get bigger
and heavier god willing. The problem: Repetitive angular muscle strain as in lifting this
little bundle of joy over and over again causes a painful recurring tendonitis.
The pain radiated upward about halfway toward her elbow in line with her thumb and
was not getting better. After a quick diagnosis of Dequervaines disease/syndrome, I
started her on a series of Ultrasound therapy set on a 50% duty cycle for 10 minutes at
1/watt per cm2. We repeated this about 3 days, while she wore a thumb splint to give
her support when she carries her baby. She also started on 400mg. of Ibuprofen 2-3X
day. I encouraged her to stay on the Ibuprofen without deviating from the medicine for 3
days even if she felt improved. Often, the inflammation associated with Dequervaines
syndrome (Stenosing Tenosynovitis) can stay so low beneath the threshold of her pain
sensors, that once the Ibuprofen stops prematurely, the inflammation comes rushing
back. Oh, and there’s one more thing…last but certainly not least is this:
There are many joints in her wrist. The one joint that does get affected is the 1st.
Metacarpal Phallangial joint. It’s at the base of the thumb. I checked hers for mobility
and it was as stuck as it could be. The joint was just not moving. This leads to the
tendon overlying that “stuck” joint to be more irritated and not able to function like a
healthy tendon should. The wrist basically had a “stuck” joint which led to this painful
Dequervaines syndrome in the first place. The fact that she overused the wrist by lifting
her newborn is the action that brought it out, but unless the joint gets adjusted by a
Chiropractor, it will come roaring back!. So, I adjusted her first metacarpal joint and we
heard a loud POP!, and then a huge smile! Ahh. Relief!
Edited Version.
After 3 sessions of treatment, she is 90% improved and needless to say, extremely happy. That makes ME very happy and I’m particularly happy that my education was the best there is in my professional field of Chiropractic Medicine. The key is not to wait too long, and take care of these injuries right away before they become recurrent and often Chronic problems.
Yours in health. I remain respectfully,
Dr. Jonathan A. Sirota DC, CCSP, PC