Working With Tenosynovitis: Keyboard, Phone and Lifting Habits That Let the Tendon Rest

The spreadsheet is due at noon, the baby needs lifting out of the cot, and the phone buzzes with a message that your thumb, apparently, is no longer willing to answer. A sharp catch runs from the base of the thumb up the forearm every time you reach for the mouse. You shake the hand out, as if the pain were a cramp, and carry on.

That small act of carrying on is exactly where working with tenosynovitis gets complicated. The condition rarely arrives with a dramatic injury; it builds through hundreds of ordinary movements, which means the fix also lives in those movements. Most people do not have the option of three weeks off, and the good news is that the evidence does not demand it.

What follows is a practical, honest look at how an inflamed tendon sheath behaves, which habits feed it, which habits let it rest, and how to tell the difference between a slow recovery and a problem that needs a clinician’s eyes.

What is tenosynovitis, and why does the sheath matter more than the tendon?

A tendon is the tough cord that ties muscle to bone, and where a tendon has to bend around a corner it runs through a sheath: a slim, lubricated tube lined with a thin membrane called synovium. Tenosynovitis is irritation or inflammation of that lining, not necessarily of the tendon itself. MedlinePlus describes it as inflammation of the lining of the sheath surrounding a tendon, usually brought on by injury, overuse or strain, and occasionally by infection.

The distinction matters because a swollen sheath behaves like a rope pulled through a hose that has shrunk a size. Every glide produces friction, friction produces more swelling, and the tube narrows further. Pain is often worst at the start of a movement, then eases a little, then returns with fatigue.

The best-known form, de Quervain’s tenosynovitis, sits on the thumb side of the wrist. Two tendons that lift and pull the thumb away from the hand pass together under a small ligament tunnel just above the bony bump at the end of the forearm bone, a landmark called the radial styloid. Mayo Clinic notes that in de Quervain’s this sheath thickens and swells, so the tendons catch rather than slide. A close relative, trigger finger, is the same process on the palm side of the fingers, where a tendon snags under a pulley and the finger locks.

Long-standing cases show more thickening than classic inflammation under the microscope, which is one reason rest alone, with nothing else changed, often disappoints. The tube has to be given room, and the movements that keep squeezing it have to be identified and altered. Everything below follows from that single mechanical fact.

Why do keyboards, phones and lifting irritate the thumb tendons?

Three movements do most of the damage: bending the wrist toward the little finger (clinicians call this ulnar deviation), lifting the thumb away from the palm, and gripping while the wrist is twisted. Each one drags the thumb tendons across the edge of their tunnel. Repeat the combination a few thousand times a day and the sheath responds the way skin responds to a badly fitting shoe.

A keyboard does this quietly. Hands splayed outward to reach the edges of a wide board, wrists resting on a hard desk edge, a mouse parked far to the right so the arm reaches and the wrist cocks: none of these feels like strain in the moment. Phones add the thumb: scrolling, typing one-handed, and bracing a heavy device against the little finger while the thumb does gymnastics across the screen.

Lifting is the most forceful of the three. Hooking the hands under a baby’s armpits, with thumbs spread wide and wrists bent, is the classic trigger, and Mayo Clinic lists caring for and lifting a child among recognized risk factors, alongside repetitive hand and wrist motion and hobbies such as gardening or racket sports. The same clinic notes that the condition is more common between the ages of 30 and 50 and in women, with pregnancy also a risk factor, probably through a mix of fluid shifts and new lifting demands.

Nobody has proven that screens alone cause the condition; the evidence points to total load on one small tunnel. That is a useful way to think about it, because load can be redistributed. The thumb and wrist are only doing this much work because nothing else in the chain, from fingers to shoulder, has been asked to help.

Working with tenosynovitis at a keyboard: wrist position, the mouse and the breaks that count

Start with the wrist, not the chair. The target is neutral: a straight line from forearm through the back of the hand, with the wrist neither bent up nor angled toward the little finger. Sit so the elbows hang close to the body at roughly a right angle and the forearms float level with the keys. If the keyboard has feet that tilt it toward you, fold them away; a flat or slightly negative tilt keeps the wrist straighter.

The mouse is usually the worse offender for de Quervain’s, because gripping it pins the thumb against the side while the wrist steers. Bring it close, directly in front of the shoulder, so the arm does not reach. A larger or vertical-style device, used in a loose grip from the forearm rather than the wrist, takes the thumb out of the steering job. Learning a handful of keyboard shortcuts for the actions you repeat most, such as copy, paste, undo and switching windows, removes hundreds of small mouse journeys a day.

Wrist rests deserve a note of caution. Resting the heel of the hand while typing bends the wrist upward and concentrates pressure on the thumb side. Rest the forearms, not the wrists, and let the hands hover over the keys while actively typing.

Breaks work best when they are short and frequent rather than long and rare. The NHS tendonitis guidance emphasizes resting the tendon while avoiding the movements that caused the problem, and in office terms that means a 20 to 30 second pause every half hour or so to open the hand, stretch the fingers wide and let the forearm hang. An occupational health review, where available, can match these principles to your actual desk. None of this requires a complete stop; it requires removing the twist.

Phone habits: why the thumb is doing a job the whole hand should share

Hold your phone the way you normally do and watch the thumb. On most people it sweeps across the screen in a wide arc, lifted away from the palm, while the wrist bends toward the little finger to bring the far corner within reach. That is the de Quervain’s motion, performed several hundred times a day, usually with the hand fatigued from everything else it has done.

Two-handed use changes the geometry. Cradle the device in the fingers of one hand and tap with the index finger of the other, keeping both wrists straight. For longer typing, voice dictation or a stand on the desk removes the hand from the equation. A thin pop-out grip or ring on the back of the case lets the fingers carry the weight so the thumb does not have to clamp.

Watch the hidden grips too. Pinching a phone between thumb and fingers to read, tucking it under the thumb while carrying groceries, or holding it for a long call with the wrist bent all load the same tunnel. A pocket, a bag or a speaker setting are not luxuries here; they are rest.

Screen time itself is the bluntest lever. The aim is not a digital detox but a reduction in total thumb excursions during the weeks the sheath is settling. Switching notifications to batches, reading longer articles on a larger screen, and leaving the phone face-down during meals all shrink the count without a confrontation.

Cleveland Clinic describes pain and swelling at the base of the thumb, a catching or snapping sensation and difficulty pinching as typical complaints. Phone habits rarely cause these alone, but they are often the single easiest load to cut while other changes bed in, and the tendon notices within days which movements have stopped.

Lifting without the thumb pinch: babies, bags, pans and weights

Lifting is where good intentions collapse, because a child, a kettle or a shopping bag cannot be postponed. The principle is the same across all of them: carry the weight through a straight wrist, with the thumb tucked alongside the fingers rather than spread wide, and share the load with the forearm, elbow and shoulder.

With an infant, the classic armpit scoop, thumbs up and wrists bent, is the movement most strongly linked to the condition. An alternative is to slide one forearm under the child’s bottom and the other behind the back, lifting with the palms turned upward and the wrists locked straight, essentially scooping with the arms rather than pinching with the hands. Bring the child close to the body before lifting, and lower the changing surface or raise the chair so the lift starts from a comfortable height. Feeding with a pillow under the baby’s weight spares the hand that would otherwise cradle for twenty minutes at a time.

In the kitchen, two hands on a heavy pan, a lighter kettle filled only as far as needed, and jar openers that use the palm rather than a twisted grip all help. Shopping goes into a backpack or a trolley; dangling bags from the fingers with the wrist bent is a slow, repeated tug on the sheath.

In the gym, straps or hooks can take the thumb out of pulling exercises, and a neutral-grip handle keeps the wrist straight during rows and presses. Anything requiring a hooked, bent-wrist grip, such as a kettlebell swing or a thumb-wrapped barbell curl, is usually best paused or modified for the weeks of recovery, with a physiotherapist’s guidance on when and how to reintroduce it. Mayo Clinic lists avoiding repetitive thumb movement and pinching among the core self-care steps; lifting technique is where that advice meets real life.

Working with tenosynovitis: who is usually told to keep going, and who is asked to stop?

Most people with an uncomplicated, overuse-related case are not told to stop working. Clinicians generally prefer modified activity: a changed grip, a splint for the heaviest tasks, shorter bouts between breaks, and a clear list of movements to avoid. Gentle motion keeps the tendon gliding and the sheath from stiffening, which is why total immobility for weeks is rarely the first recommendation.

Some situations tip the balance toward a genuine pause from the aggravating task, at least temporarily. A job built almost entirely around the triggering movement, such as repetitive packing or heavy manual pinching, may need a short period of lighter duties while symptoms settle. Pain that wakes you at night, visible swelling that is increasing, or weakness that makes you drop objects usually earns a clinician’s review before any return to full load.

A separate group is asked to wait rather than push through: anyone whose symptoms came on with redness, warmth or fever, or after a cut or puncture near the tendon. MedlinePlus notes that tenosynovitis can be caused by infection and that infectious cases need urgent treatment because an untreated infection can damage or rupture the tendon. Self-management is not the right path there.

People in late pregnancy or the first months after birth often hear that symptoms may ease once hormonal fluid shifts settle and lifting patterns change, but that is an observation about typical course, not a promise, and splinting and technique still matter in the meantime. Those with inflammatory arthritis or diabetes may be reviewed differently, because tendon sheaths can be involved in the underlying condition.

Whatever category you fall into, the decision about duties, rest and return belongs to the treating team, who can examine the hand rather than infer from a description. The habits in this article support that plan; they do not replace it.

How to recover from tenosynovitis: what the first weeks usually look like

Recovery from an overuse case tends to follow a recognizable arc rather than a straight line. Mayo Clinic states that with early treatment, symptoms should improve within four to six weeks, and that if the problem began during pregnancy it often eases around the end of pregnancy or breastfeeding. Those figures describe typical experience, and individual timelines vary with how long the sheath has been irritated and how completely the loads are changed.

The first few days are about subtraction. Identify the two or three movements that reproduce the pain and remove or modify them. A thumb spica splint, a brace that holds the thumb and wrist still while leaving the fingers free, is often suggested for this phase; Mayo Clinic describes splinting continuously for several weeks as a standard early measure, with the exact schedule set by the clinician. Ice wrapped in a cloth for short bouts can ease soreness after a long day.

Weeks one to three usually bring quieter mornings and a smaller area of tenderness, though sudden flares after an unavoidable lift are common and do not mean the plan has failed. This is when gentle range-of-motion work, often taught by a physiotherapist or hand therapist, starts: slow thumb circles, opening and closing the hand, sliding the wrist from side to side within a pain-free range.

Weeks four to six are about rebuilding tolerance. Loads come back in small increments, with the modified grips kept permanently rather than abandoned the moment pain fades. A sheath that was squeezed for months does not forgive an abrupt return to old habits.

If six weeks of consistent changes bring little relief, that is not a failure of willpower but a signal for review. Cleveland Clinic notes that treatment is escalated when conservative measures have not helped, and the next section on heat, and the later one on persistent cases, cover what that review usually considers.

Is heat good for wrist tendonitis, or should I reach for ice?

Both have a place, and the mistake is using the wrong one at the wrong moment. Ice reduces local blood flow and dulls pain signals, which suits the hours after a flare when the thumb side of the wrist feels puffy and hot to the touch. The NHS tendonitis guidance suggests an ice pack, or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel, held against the area for up to 20 minutes every two to three hours, and it cautions against placing ice directly on skin.

Heat does the opposite: it opens blood vessels, relaxes the forearm muscles that pull on the tendons and makes stiff tissue more pliable. That is helpful before gentle stretching or at the start of a cold morning when the hand feels locked. It is less helpful during an acute, swollen flare, when extra blood flow can increase throbbing. A sensible rule is ice when it is hot and swollen, warmth when it is stiff and dull.

What the evidence actually shows is modest. Neither heat nor cold changes the thickened sheath; both are comfort measures that help you keep moving and keep working. Trials comparing them in de Quervain’s specifically are small and inconsistent, so clinicians tend to recommend whichever the person finds eases pain, within sensible limits on duration and skin protection.

Practical details matter more than the choice. Keep each session short, protect the skin with a cloth, never apply either to numb areas or over broken skin, and avoid falling asleep on a heat pad. Anyone with diabetes, circulation problems or reduced sensation in the hand should check with their clinician before using heat or ice at all, since both can injure skin that cannot feel the warning.

Comfort measures earn their keep only when paired with the habit changes above; a warm wrist that goes straight back to a cocked mouse grip has gained nothing.

Can de Quervain's tenosynovitis be treated at home? Splints, activity changes and what the evidence supports

For a mild, recent case with a clear trigger, yes, home measures are the starting point most guidelines describe. Mayo Clinic’s self-care list is short: avoid repetitive thumb movements and pinching, apply ice, and wear a splint that immobilizes the thumb and wrist. Combined with the keyboard, phone and lifting changes in this article, those steps address the mechanical cause rather than only the symptom.

The splint deserves a closer look because people often wear it wrong. A thumb spica brace should hold the thumb in a relaxed, slightly open position and keep the wrist straight, while leaving the fingers free to move. Wearing it too loose lets the thumb drift; wearing it so tight that the fingers tingle or change color is a signal to remove it and adjust. Clinicians vary in how many hours a day they suggest, and that schedule should come from your own review rather than from a packaging label.

Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory tablets, a class called NSAIDs, work by blocking enzymes involved in inflammation and may ease pain in the short term. They do not shrink the sheath, they carry stomach, kidney and heart risks for some people, and decisions about whether they are suitable, and for how long, belong to a pharmacist or prescribing clinician who knows your history.

Gentle exercises taught by a physiotherapist or hand therapist, such as slow thumb lifts and wrist glides within a pain-free range, can be done at home and help the tendon slide once the acute soreness settles. Aggressive stretching into pain, by contrast, tends to irritate the sheath further.

Home treatment has limits. If symptoms do not improve after a few weeks of consistent changes, if there is any sign of infection, or if the hand becomes weak or numb, home care should give way to a clinical assessment. The NHS advises seeing a GP if tendon pain has not improved after a few weeks of self-care.

De Quervain's tenosynovitis treatment options at a glance

People facing this condition usually want one view of the whole path, from habit change to surgery, so they can understand where they are and what might follow. The table below summarizes the main options as mainstream guidance describes them. None is a recommendation; the right sequence depends on how long symptoms have lasted, how severe they are and what the examination shows.

Option	What it involves	What it aims to do	Typical place in the pathway
Activity modification	Changing grip, wrist position, phone use and lifting technique	Remove the friction that keeps the sheath swollen	First step, continued throughout
Thumb spica splint	Brace holding thumb and wrist still, fingers free	Rest the two tendons without stopping all hand use	Early weeks, schedule set by clinician
Ice or heat	Short, skin-protected applications	Ease pain and stiffness so movement continues	Supporting measure at any stage
NSAID medicines	Anti-inflammatory tablets or gels, by class	Reduce pain and inflammation short term	Decided by pharmacist or prescriber
Hand or physiotherapy	Guided gliding exercises, graded loading, ergonomics	Restore smooth tendon movement and tolerance	After acute soreness settles
Corticosteroid injection	Anti-inflammatory medicine placed into the sheath	Settle inflammation when conservative care has not	Considered if symptoms persist
Surgical release	Day procedure opening the tunnel roof to free the tendons	Give the tendons permanent room	Reserved for persistent cases after other measures

Mayo Clinic describes this sequence: self-care and splinting first, medicines and injection for persistent inflammation, and surgery when the problem is severe or other treatments have not helped. The clinic also notes that injections into the sheath are generally used sparingly rather than repeated indefinitely.

The table hides one point worth stating plainly. Every row below the first depends on the first. An injection or an operation that frees the tendons while the mouse grip, phone habit and lifting technique stay unchanged leaves the cause in place. Teams who treat this condition typically pair any escalation with a return to the basics above, and ask patients to keep them for good.

What should I do if de Quervain's tenosynovitis isn't healing?

The first question a clinician will ask is whether the loads actually changed. Many people splint diligently at night and then spend the day in exactly the posture that caused the problem. A frank audit of the working day, ideally with a hand therapist watching the hand in action, often finds one or two movements that slipped through: a phone held in bed, a laptop used on the knees, a toddler lifted the old way because the new way felt awkward.

The second question is whether the diagnosis is right. Pain at the thumb side of the wrist has several possible sources, including arthritis at the base of the thumb, a ganglion, nerve irritation and an old fracture of the small scaphoid bone. Mayo Clinic notes that doctors usually diagnose de Quervain’s by examination, including the Finkelstein test, in which the thumb is folded into the palm and the wrist bent toward the little finger to reproduce the pain, and that imaging is not normally needed. When symptoms behave unexpectedly, an ultrasound or X-ray may be requested to rule out something else.

If both the loads and the diagnosis check out, the usual next discussion is about escalation. A corticosteroid injection places anti-inflammatory medicine directly into the sheath, aiming to reduce swelling so the tendons glide again; relief, when it comes, is typically felt over days to a few weeks, and the treating clinician will explain how often it can reasonably be considered. Surgical release, a short procedure that opens the roof of the tunnel, is reserved for cases that persist despite everything else, and it carries the ordinary risks of any hand operation, including nerve irritation, scarring and infection, which a surgeon will set out in person.

A case that is not healing is a reason to return, not to push harder or to give up. Persistent symptoms after several weeks of genuine change are exactly what follow-up appointments are for, and the choice among options sits with you and the team examining the hand.

What people often get wrong about tenosynovitis

The most common error is treating pain as the enemy rather than the messenger. People buy a brace, swallow a tablet and carry on with the identical grip, then conclude that nothing works. The sheath is reporting friction; silence the report without removing the friction and the thickening continues.

A second myth runs the other way: that the hand must be completely still until it stops hurting. Weeks of total immobilization stiffen the wrist, weaken the forearm and often make the eventual return to work harder. Splints are meant to rest two tendons during the heaviest tasks while the rest of the hand keeps moving.

Many people believe the condition is a sign of weakness and start forearm strengthening with heavy grippers and wrist curls. Loading an irritated sheath too early tends to inflame it further. Strength work has its place, later and graded, under guidance.

Another assumption is that it only affects new parents or people with manual jobs. The risk factors Mayo Clinic lists include repetitive hand and wrist motion of any kind, and office workers, musicians, gamers and gardeners all appear in clinics.

Some assume that if a test online reproduces the pain, the diagnosis is settled. The Finkelstein maneuver is a useful clinical sign, but thumb-side wrist pain has several causes, and a positive self-test is a reason for an examination, not a substitute for one.

A final misunderstanding concerns injections and surgery: that they are either a last resort to be feared or a quick fix to be demanded. In mainstream pathways they are ordinary options with known benefits and known risks, offered when conservative care has been given a fair trial. The habits that let the tendon rest remain the foundation whichever branch the pathway takes.

Questions to ask your care team

Appointments are short, and the questions that matter most tend to surface in the car park afterward. Writing them down in advance turns a ten-minute consultation into a plan you can act on at your desk the next morning.

• Which specific movements should I avoid, and which are safe to keep doing while I work?
• How many hours a day should I wear the splint, and should I wear it at night or during particular tasks?
• Is my diagnosis confirmed on examination, or are there other causes of thumb-side wrist pain you want to rule out?
• Would a referral to a hand therapist or physiotherapist help, and what would they teach me?
• Are anti-inflammatory medicines suitable for me given my other conditions and medicines, and for how long?
• Roughly how long should I give these changes before we review, and what would prompt an earlier appointment?
• If symptoms persist, what are the next options, and what are the realistic benefits and risks of each?
• Can you give me a note for work describing modified duties or equipment, if that would help?
• Are there signs I should treat as urgent rather than waiting for the next review?

Bring the practical evidence too. A photo of your desk, your usual phone grip and the way you lift a child or a heavy pan can tell a therapist more in thirty seconds than a verbal description can in five minutes. If a workplace assessment has already been done, bring the report.

Ask, finally, who to contact if things change between appointments. Knowing the route back into the system, whether that is a nurse line, a therapist’s email or a GP, removes the temptation to wait and hope. The plan belongs to you and the team together, and it works best when both sides know what the other is watching for.

When to call your doctor: red-flag signs that should not wait

Most tenosynovitis settles with changed habits and time, but a few patterns need a clinician promptly rather than at the next routine review. Seek urgent care the same day if the thumb side of the wrist becomes red, hot and increasingly swollen, if you develop a fever or feel generally unwell alongside the hand pain, or if symptoms began after a cut, bite or puncture wound anywhere near the tendons. MedlinePlus explains that tenosynovitis can be caused by infection, that infectious cases need urgent treatment, and that an untreated infection can lead to tendon damage or rupture.

Contact your doctor within a day or two if you suddenly cannot move the thumb or wrist, if a snapping sensation is followed by new weakness or an inability to lift the thumb, or if numbness, tingling or color change appears in the fingers, particularly while wearing a splint. Those signs point to nerve or circulation involvement or to a possible tendon tear rather than simple sheath irritation.

Book a routine appointment if pain is not improving after a few weeks of consistent changes, if it wakes you at night, if it spreads up the forearm, or if you are dropping objects. The NHS advises seeing a GP when tendon pain has not improved with self-care after a few weeks, and sooner if the pain is severe or there is sudden swelling.

Do not alter prescribed medicines on your own account when symptoms change; mention the change to the prescriber and let them adjust. Likewise, do not remove a splint recommended for a possible tear until a clinician has examined the hand.

None of these signs is a reason for alarm in itself, but each is a reason for a trained hand to assess yours. A phone call, in this one case made with the other hand, is the right next move.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recover from tenosynovitis while still working?

Recovery usually depends on removing the specific movements that irritate the sheath rather than stopping work altogether. Keep the wrist straight at the keyboard, bring the mouse close, use the phone with two hands, lift with palms up, and wear a splint for the heaviest tasks if your clinician suggests one. Mayo Clinic notes symptoms often improve within four to six weeks of early treatment, with review if they do not.

What should I do if de Quervain's tenosynovitis isn't healing?

Go back to your clinician rather than pushing through. The review usually checks whether the aggravating loads truly changed, confirms the diagnosis by examination and sometimes imaging, and then discusses options such as a corticosteroid injection into the sheath or, for persistent cases, a surgical release of the tunnel. Each has benefits and risks the treating team will set out in person.

Is heat good for tendonitis in the wrist?

Heat helps when the wrist feels stiff and dull, for example before gentle stretching on a cold morning, because it relaxes the forearm muscles that pull on the tendons. During a hot, swollen flare, ice is usually the better choice. Neither changes the thickened sheath; both are comfort measures, and anyone with reduced sensation or circulation should check with a clinician first.

Can de Quervain's tenosynovitis be treated at home?

Mild, recent cases are usually managed at home first, with activity changes, a thumb spica splint, short ice applications and gentle gliding exercises once soreness settles. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines may ease pain short term, with suitability decided by a pharmacist or prescriber. If symptoms persist beyond a few weeks or signs of infection appear, home care should give way to a clinical assessment.

How long should I wear a splint for tenosynovitis?

The schedule should come from your clinician, because it depends on how severe the irritation is and what your day demands. Mayo Clinic describes continuous splinting for several weeks as a common early approach, with fingers left free to move. A splint that causes tingling or color change in the fingers is too tight and should be adjusted.

Can I keep typing with de Quervain's tenosynovitis?

Usually yes, if the wrist stays neutral and the mouse is tamed. Fold the keyboard feet flat, rest the forearms rather than the wrists, bring the mouse directly in front of the shoulder and use a loose grip that does not pin the thumb. Short breaks every half hour to open the hand help more than one long break, and persistent pain despite these changes warrants review.

Which exercises help tenosynovitis at home?

Gentle range-of-motion work within a pain-free range is the usual starting point: slow thumb lifts and circles, opening and closing the hand, and sliding the wrist from side to side. A physiotherapist or hand therapist can show the correct technique and decide when graded loading is appropriate. Forceful stretching into pain or heavy grip strengthening early on tends to irritate the sheath further.

Is de Quervain's tenosynovitis caused by phones?

Phones contribute but have not been shown to cause the condition on their own. One-handed scrolling combines a wide thumb sweep with a wrist bent toward the little finger, which is exactly the movement that drags the thumb tendons across their tunnel. Mayo Clinic frames the cause as repetitive hand and wrist motion in general, so phone use is one load among several worth reducing.

What does a corticosteroid injection do for tenosynovitis?

The injection places anti-inflammatory medicine directly into the tendon sheath, aiming to reduce swelling so the tendons glide more freely. Relief, when it occurs, is typically felt over days to a few weeks. Mayo Clinic lists it among options when self-care and splinting have not helped, and notes injections are used sparingly. Whether and when it is suitable is a decision for the treating clinician.

When is surgery considered for de Quervain's tenosynovitis?

Surgery is generally reserved for cases that remain severe despite a fair trial of activity changes, splinting, therapy and, often, injection. The procedure opens the roof of the tunnel so the two thumb tendons have permanent room. Like any hand operation it carries risks including nerve irritation, scarring and infection, and the surgeon will discuss those alongside the expected recovery in person.

References

• MedlinePlus: Tenosynovitis
• NHS: Tendonitis

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.