How Acupuncture Treats De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. (Texters/Mommy’s Thumb)

 What Causes De Quervain’s

De Quervian’s (DQ) is caused by irritation of the tendons and synovium of at the base of the thumb due to repetitive twisting and turning motions of the wrist/forearm.  If this condition becomes chronic, the tendon sheath thickens and this causes constriction of the sheath which leads to clicking and locking of the thumb.

” Although De Quervian’s can affect anyone who spends a lot of time on there phone texting, golfers, tennis players, or construction workers, mothers tend to be at the highest risk to this pesky and painful condition. The condition usually stems from leaving the elbow, wrist and thumb in precarious positions to carry, support, and feed the baby for long periods of time. If you’ve had a baby, you know you will basically gnaw your arm off before moving if they fall asleep!  As a result, the tendons and muscles that run up the forearm become tight, inflamed, and down right angry.

Signs & Symptoms of De Quervain’s

• Pain at the base of the thumb.
• Swelling at the base of the thumb.
• Difficulty moving the thumb when grasping & pinching.
• Pain at the base of the thumb/wrist when rotating the wrist

How to Diagnose yourself with De Quervain’s?

If you have pain performing the Finkelstein Test you most likely have De quervain’s Tensosynovitis.

Who’s at Risk for De Quervain’s?

• Moms & Dads of Newborns
• Racket Sports Players
• Musicians
• Construction Workers
• Chronic Texters/phone addicts
• Office & Computer Workers
• Bartenders
• Gardeners

How We Use Acupuncture and Soft Tissue Work to treat this pesky condition.

We take a three step approach to this condition –

1. Acupuncture
2. Soft Tissue mobilization,
3. Topical Application

There two muscles that are active in this condition are the Abductor Pollicis Longus and the Extensor Pollicis Brevis. We utilize acupuncture points SJ6 & SJ8 to target the bellies of these two muscles.  After that, we target the posterior interosseous nerve which innervates these muscles by using acupuncture points LU5 & SJ9 as well as LU7 to target the superior branch of the radial nerve.  Next, we target the tendon pathway of the Extensor Pollicis Brevis with acupuncture point LI5 and the tendon pathway of the Abductor Pollicis Longus with LU9. We connect these acupuncture points to electrical stimulation utilizing different frequencies to help ease the inflammation, increase blood flow, and calm the nerves, tendons, and muscles affected by this dysfunction.

After this we utilize soft tissue manipulation and mobilization along the entire shoulder and arm to ensure all compensatory muscles are working properly and the associated nerves are allowed to flow freely through the once taught tissues.

Last but not least – we use topical application of an ancient formula, Evil Bone Water. Evil Bone Water is an external use analgesic that promotes good circulation, helps ease pain, decrease inflammation, and strengthen connective tissues.

This three step combination is sure to ease your pain and leave you happy with two thumbs up!