Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 21, 2016 - 09:45am PT
|
I'm asking for help here, so you KNOW i'm desperate. My wife has had De Quervain's tenosynovitis, otherwise known as Blackberry thumb, since last Feburary. So we've been to the Doc a couple times, done PT, 2 cortisone shots, ect! Next and last option is surgery which may or may not work. Has anybody here dealt with this and found a way to cure the condition? It just sucks because she can't do the dishes now ;) Apparently doing the dishes is like hand jamming.
A wierd side note is that this condition tends to affect women more than men.
From the Mayo Clinic Web page.
"De Quervain's tenosynovitis (dih-kwer-VAINS ten-oh-sine-oh-VIE-tis) is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, it will probably hurt when you turn your wrist, grasp anything or make a fist.
Although the exact cause of de Quervain's tenosynovitis isn't known, any activity that relies on repetitive hand or wrist movement — such as working in the garden, playing golf or racket sports, or lifting your baby — can make it worse."
Please. Help us get to climbing again (I'm on a slow but steady track)!
|
|
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 21, 2016 - 09:50am PT
|
She hasn't used a blackberry in 5 years (and then only overseas).
Edit: She spends her work days on the computer, either coding or writing "stuff". She uses an ergonomic setup at work too, so I'm thinking that should not be a problem?
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
|
Oct 21, 2016 - 09:59am PT
|
Could be scar tissue pinching on a nerve that's causing the pain?
Moffatt had this in his elbow and thought it was tendinitis and couldn't do anything.
He had the scar tissue surgically removed away from pinching that nerve and was fixed ....
|
|
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 21, 2016 - 10:01am PT
|
Yea......it is Locker. The name washerwoman's sprain suggests it's been around for a while. Apparently, usually affects young mothers. We are not young.
|
|
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 21, 2016 - 10:06am PT
|
And Werner, yes, that's the idea behind the surgery. It doesn't always work tho. She can get 1 more shot. She DID injure her wrist/thumb skateboarding just before this popped up, so maybe that has something to do with it.
|
|
fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
|
|
|
Oct 21, 2016 - 10:10am PT
|
Get a second (and third) opinion. There are quite a few conditions that present with similar symptoms.
Did this develop gradually/suddenly... after some trauma? Just saw the update with the skateboard thing. Has she had MRI/CT scans of her hand/wrist? Does the cortisone help temporarily?
On the upside, the surgery for DQT usually works well.
|
|
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 21, 2016 - 10:59am PT
|
Good questions fear. The onset is loosely correlated with the skateboard wrist injury, which did not seem very bad at the time. The De Quervain's showed up a week or 2 later. She has gotten 2 opinions; both the same. No scans yet, and each of the shots helped for a week or so. If she goes for the third shot, they will do some sort of scan to accurately place the delivery point.
|
|
climbingcoastie
Ice climber
Wasilla, AK
|
|
|
Oct 21, 2016 - 11:10am PT
|
I had it about 5 years ago, had the surgery and don't regret it at all!! My doc said the surgery would either cure it, or it wouldn't. There's no real drawbacks to the surgery.
I fell from about 14 feet about 9 months after my surgery and broke the same wrist. Many more issues from the fall than from surgery. I had a flair up in my other wrist a couple years ago. Went from no ice climbing to 7 days in Bozeman. I was ready to have another surgery, but my new doc asked me to wait and see if it came back. Since it was the start of the ice season I was ok with waiting.
Overall completely happy I did the surgery.
|
|
fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
|
|
|
Oct 21, 2016 - 11:23am PT
|
I'd politely request a CT or MRI of that wrist before going under the knife for DQT... There's a lot going on that area and particularly after some fall/trauma it's worth some scans before cutting IMO.
I'm in the process myself of getting a CT scheduled for my thumb/wrist after the first guy diagnosed "maybe DQT". I don't do cortisone though.
Has she tried splinting it for like 2-solid weeks? Treat it like a cast.
My wife went misdiagnosed for a a similar(wrist) injury for 2+ months. It wasn't until CT scans were reluctantly done that they 'found' 2 broken bones and a few torn ligaments. All of which did not show on x-ray and required surgery to fix.
|
|
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 21, 2016 - 11:37am PT
|
One of the reasons I posted this up was to get feedback on the surgery. It's sounding like the surgery is a great option with what I've heard so far.
Cosmic, her wrist is swollen where the thumb tendons cross, but no lump or hard spot.
|
|
SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
|
|
|
Oct 21, 2016 - 11:55am PT
|
Never heard of it and I have no advice but wanted to chime in that I'm rooting for the two if you!! <3
Susan.
|
|
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 21, 2016 - 12:21pm PT
|
Thank you Susan! We are both pretty hopeless right now lol!!
|
|
GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
|
|
|
Oct 21, 2016 - 12:23pm PT
|
No use of one hand? have you tried toproping friction slabs/etc to get somethign in at least?
|
|
zBrown
Ice climber
|
|
|
Oct 21, 2016 - 04:47pm PT
|
Have you looked into acupuncture?
2 weeks after a skating fall?
Doesn't sound like repetitive motion
Maybe inflammation?
Try icing the heck out of it?
|
|
TrackerTodd
Mountain climber
CA
|
|
|
Oct 21, 2016 - 07:24pm PT
|
Been dealing with this myself on and off for the last year or so, stretching and massage help a lot and I also bought a TENS unit on Amazon for pretty cheap, that seem sot help quite a bit as well. Acupuncture is my next route, good luck!
|
|
zBrown
Ice climber
|
|
|
Oct 22, 2016 - 08:38pm PT
|
Informative post rad. I read it twice and the cite.
No discussion of the timeframes, but that's something I'd be researching if it was my wrist.
1-2 week onset?
I had an Achilles injury and found a study on eccentric contractions,
I did the prescribed exercises and disappeared the problem.
Have continued as a preventative.
|
|
chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
|
|
|
Oct 22, 2016 - 10:58pm PT
|
I must preface by stating that Im not a doctor. Thus Cannot give medical advice or treatment. But some information: ligament tears of tbe wrist and thumb are difficult to diagnose. Some bones of the wrist recieve their blood supply from their attached ligaments. A torn or ruptured ligament can lead to loss of blood supply to bone, resulting in atrophic necrosis, which can manifest pain and problems with articulation. No amount of rest or immobilization will help if that is the diagnosis. The ligament must be reattached ASAP. A three stage arthrogram is used to diagnose the problem as these ligament tears dont always appear on MRI. Many doctors even orthopedists are hesitant to prescribe this diagnostic procedure because it is painfull. It involves observation in real time of a dye that can be injected into the joint. As the dye migrates over time, it is observed in the xray. Torn ligaments manifest as leaks where the dye travels where it shouldnt. Insertion of the needle is very uncomfortable and the procedure is a bit pricey. The fact that your spouse used her hand to break a fall on concrete makes a ruptured ligament a real possibility. You need to consult an orthopedist who specializes in hands. Good luck and hope she recieves adequet treatment. I had an injury of this nature which left me with a disability rating. But I climbed at Nationals eight months after surgery.
|
|
chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2016 - 02:17am PT
|
If you say so. I had this thouroughly explained to me by the Sacramento Kings Specialized Orthopedic Surgeon, who repaired the ligaments. It took a year of dealing with chump docs get to the root of the problem. I also thoroughly studied the clinical symposia on this topic. Say what you like. I had the injury for a year, received the arthrogram, helped the technician evaluate the results, receved the surgery and did twelve weeks of PT, followed by two years of rehabilitation. I had pins sticking out my wrist for eight weeks and still have a small steel suture burried in there. But I guess Im just bullshitting. And my wrist is now strong enough to choke your ass, dick.
|
|
chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2016 - 06:53pm PT
|
Im really sorry I said that. Its a symptom of my anger problem. I was really angry and felt dissed personally. I regret the statement and ask you to forgive me for saying it.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!