Has anyone had DeQuervain’s? If so, do you think it was caused by playing guitar, or by something else you do in life? How did you get past it, and how long did it take? I’d appreciate any experiences you have to share. I’m struggling with this in my strumming/picking hand, really wanting to avoid surgery. I’ve searched Dr. Google and I’m seeing a hand specialist. Asking here to hopefully get feedback from a trusted source.
ETA: I wrote a while back that my pain:
I’m no longer convinced that guitar is the source.
Disclaimer: I’m totally unqualified to give any medical advice. I’ve had a few issues with elbows, wrist and hand. My problems stem from non-guitar stresses and strains, I worked as a gardener/tree lopper. Stretching exercises help. Some hand soreness can originate from tight muscles further up the arm. I still have a problem with my left elbow but it’s manageable.
It’s typically a repetitive motion stress injury, sometimes seen in cashiers at the checkout counter from repeatedly gripping/scanning items from the belt. More common in women than men. A little unlikely that it would be from guitar playing, particularly on the picking hand unless you’re gripping the pick very hard and picking aggressively, but anything is possible. Conservative treatment is ice, a brace and non-steroidal anti-inflamitories like ibuprofen. If severe corticosteroid injections can be helpful. Surgery is somewhat of a last resort if nothing else works. You’re doing the right thing by seeing a hand man, he will know how to treat.
@chris_m Chris, thank you for reminding me of the muscles further up the forearm. I’ll add massaging those muscles to my care routine.
@mvMOJO Ray, thank you for the information. I’ve been the following conservative treatment you describe, but am getting little guidance from the hand clinic on that. Do you have any idea how long one should stick with this before throwing in the towel? Is it 10 days? Six weeks? I’ve had two steroid injections, both the first and second have proven only partially helpful. The clinic seems hell-bent on surgery, and has since the day I walked in. I’m trying to find a new clinic but we don’t have a lot of options where I live.
And one more question: as I understand things, once they open that tendon sheath it is permanent. This reminds me of cutting a waistband on a pair of pants that is too tight: it will help for now, but it will eventually rip even if you don’t put on mor weight? Do you have any thoughts about this concern?
Hi Judi, you might find this interesting, it’s put out by the British Society for Surgery of the Hand.
My wife had Carpal Tunnel syndrome and had to have both wrists operated on, it eases the problem but never really eliminates it. It leaves a slight weakness in the wrists, in her case one hand is worse than the other.
I’m not an MD, my background is physiology so not trying to practice medicine here! My suggestion would be to find another hand doc or orthopeadist and get a 2nd opinion.
Thank you for that reference, Darrell. It addresses the question: what happens after they make the cut to relieve the pressure? I’d been told that it never heals, but this is reassuring.
The tunnel roof forms again as the split heals, but it is wider and the tendons have sufficient room to move without pain.
Before going for any surgery option, try everything else and be persistent. Surgery is really a last option.
I had it from doing rowing competitively when young and it’s a very common problem.
Because anything to do with tendons can be due to muscle weakness, it would be good to see a physiotherapist who is a specialist for that problem. It’s amazing what they can do sometimes. The problem is that there are so many physios that practice different techniques so if it doesn’t work with one, try another.
I saw 5 different physios for a chronic back problem. The 1st 4 were completely useless. Gave me loads of massages and exercises that did nothing. The last one gave me a few very simple weight lifting exercises for my back. I was highly sceptical, (especially lifting weights) but since doing the exercises, I don’t have any problems (as long as I do the exercises regularly). So it’s worth being persistent before surgery.
My cousin has this problem in his wrist/hand from using the computer. It got to the point where he could no longer even hold his phone and had to stop working. The only thing that has helped him is pain/stress relief through use of cannabis oil (prescribed). It really has helped him a lot. He loves riding motorcycles and couldn’t do it for about 10 years. Now he can ride a motorcycle again. (Note: the cannabis oil is usually something you take late evening, not during the day when you are driving, working etc). Might not be a route you want to pursue but it has helped him when all other medical advice has failed. He has not had surgery. He can’t do everything and the problem hasn’t gone away but he can lead a reasonably normal life.
I found stretching exercises are more effective than massaging. The exercises at 3:30 in this video is what helped me. Also worth noting that it’s a slow process to recover, at least a couple of months. Bearing in mind my issue is more with the elbow rather than hand, but it’s all connected.
Out of these three, I would recommend only one.
If you do not have faith in your hand specialist, you might want to get a second opinion.
Also, don’t underestimate Dr. Time
Thank you Ian for your insights and suggestions. Like you, I’m a huge fan of physiotherapy in general. I’d at least like someone to watch me do things with a goal to identify bad postures etc. I understand too that muscle weakness can be a source of trouble, and go to a gym with athletic trainers. Of course they don’t have much to say about the hands and wrists, but they do monitor form carefully so I don’t think those exercises are the source of the problem.
In frustration, I asked my friend who is a veterinarian some specific questions about tendons. Her explanation of the physiology and how this might have developed was the best I’ve yet heard! She has DeQuervain’s as well, but is able to manage it. She suggested looking into Class IV Cold Laser therapy…I read some positive clinical results of this. I’ll be calling about that as soon as they open today! Cannibis and I don’t get along well, but that could be a dosage issue!
Thank you for this, Chris. Unfortunately I can’t bend my wrist in the ways he shows to stretch those muscles. In fact, I’m wearing an immobilizing brace most of the time these days. It does remind me, though, that I can and should do deep tissue massage on those connected muscles.
I am going to pass this video along to my husband, who does have elbow issues from time to time!
What I understood from my cousin it that it is rather a low dose, but what constitutes a low dose is quite subjective. But what he meant by that it is that he doesn’t get a high from that. But it does help with the pain management and interestingly it has allowed him to do more and more things that he loves, that he couldn’t do before without any worsening of the situation or simply physically couldn’t do previously. That is not compatible with some of the things you can read about the syndrome that say you should avoid doing repetitive movements that will exacerbate the problem - but I’m not a doctor.
Didn’t hear of the cold laser therapy but sounds interesting.
Thank you for that reminder Brian! I hope I don’t sound like I’m whining - I’m really just frustrated - I’ve been dealing with this for six months, seeking medical attention for five months…and I’ve not seen any improvement (except for the week or two after the steroid injection and before I resume normal activities). If I felt confident in the advice I’m getting I’d be more patient.
Thank you Richard. Yes, this has been a helpful conversation if only because it’s supporting my preferred approach to this problem, and the importance of second opinions.
It does remind me, though, that I can and should do deep tissue massage on those connected muscles.