Targeted physiotherapy for De Quervain's tenosynovitis — reducing the painful inflammation at the thumb's base, restoring full wrist and thumb movement, and helping you return to daily tasks without pain.
Designed to reduce pain, restore mobility, and improve your quality of life — with a programme built around your specific condition and recovery goals.
Ultrasound therapy and manual soft tissue work reduce inflammation in the tendon sheath — relieving the sharp, aching pain on the thumb side of the wrist.
Graduated tendon gliding and range-of-motion exercises restore full wrist and thumb movement — so you can grip, pinch, and turn your wrist without pain.
We understand the demands of caring for a newborn — lifting, feeding, bathing. Our programme is adapted to your specific daily needs, allowing you to continue caring for your baby while recovering.
We identify and modify the specific gripping and lifting mechanics causing the tendon overuse — preventing the condition from recurring after recovery.
Physiotherapy combined with splinting resolves De Quervain’s in most cases without requiring cortisone injection or the De Quervain’s release surgical procedure.
De Quervain's tenosynovitis is inflammation of the two tendons that control thumb movement — the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis — as they pass through a tight fibrous sheath at the wrist. The result is a sharp, aching pain on the thumb side of the wrist that worsens when you grip, pinch, or turn the wrist. Lifting a baby, picking up a cup, scrolling on a phone, or wringing a cloth can all trigger it. New mothers are particularly affected — often called 'Mommy Thumb' — as is anyone who performs repetitive pinching or gripping movements.
Our physiotherapy approach targets the inflamed tendon sheath at the radial side of the wrist through splinting (thumb spica), manual soft tissue therapy, ultrasound therapy to reduce sheath inflammation, progressive tendon gliding and strengthening exercises, and ergonomic guidance. We also address the specific movement patterns — how you lift, pinch, scroll, or carry — that are perpetuating the tendon irritation.
Non-Surgical Recovery
Average Treatment
Success Without Injection
Every recovery journey is different.
Here is what our patients say about their experience at New Age Rehab.
Have questions about De Quervain's Tenosynovitis treatment? Here are the most common queries — to help you understand what to expect and how physiotherapy can help.
Yes — significantly so. Hormonal changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding cause ligament laxity and tendon vulnerability, and the repetitive wrist positions used to hold and lift a newborn trigger the condition. New mothers account for a large proportion of De Quervain’s cases.
The Finkelstein test — where the thumb is folded into the palm and the wrist is tilted towards the little finger side — produces a sharp pain at the radial wrist in De Quervain’s. Your physiotherapist will confirm the diagnosis during the first assessment.
Most patients experience significant improvement within 4–6 weeks of physiotherapy and splinting. Full recovery — returning to all grip and pinch activities — typically takes 8–10 weeks.
A thumb spica splint — immobilising the thumb and wrist while leaving the fingers free — is an important part of treatment. It reduces ongoing tendon irritation while allowing you to continue most daily tasks. Splint use is tapered as symptoms improve.
Yes. Early physiotherapy combined with splinting resolves De Quervain’s without injection in the majority of cases. Cortisone injection is considered when physiotherapy provides insufficient relief — and surgery is a last resort for persistent cases.
Not if the root cause is addressed. Your physiotherapist will identify and correct the specific movement habits causing the tendon overuse — and provide a home exercise programme to maintain tendon health and prevent recurrence.
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