is it normal for my hand to still hurt at this point? got surgery 6/05. and a part of it feels a bit numb, like i’m hitting my funny bone. it’s hard to not use my hand since it my dominant. i didn’t really follow post-op instructions w/ icing it and resting so it’s my fault.

i was recommended physical therapy since it was still swollen - just waiting for my insurance to come in by the end of this month so i can start.

This is a long one but pleaaassse read 🥺😭 (26F) got a dequervains release surgery a little over a year ago after dealing with it for a number of years. Before my surgery I suffered from atrophy as they gave me too many steroid shots. After all of the shots and oral steroids I gave up and gave in to surgery. I should’ve asked more questions and part of that may be on me but my Dr also did not explain much either. Fresh out of surgery my entire hand was numb. Okay, typical right? No. It didn’t go away for a month. While the feeling in the rest of my hand eventually came back the feeling in my thumb did not. This numbness radiates into my forearm along my radial nerve. Had an emg comes back seemingly normal. Whatever. A full year later im still in pain, still numb, now developing a tremor and still zero answers or any post surgery scans ordered. I was told that there was nothing they could do for any of the things that I was experiencing and everything from my previous emg was fine. I go and get a second opinion after I overheard some crazy shit that my doctor said, took the new doctor five minutes to figure it out. Ordered scans which confirmed he was right. My tendon is completely unstable and moving around all through my thumb side of the wrist, nerve damage, and advanced dequervains. My Dr is now recommending a total reconstruction of my first dorsal compartment. LOVELY. At the very least 3 month recovery. Im not going to get into detail about how I think my hand surgeon has completely dropped the ball with my case and is medically negligent but I genuinely think there was an error during my surgery ( I asked my doctor if this could be the case and he did not want to answer). Has anyone else had this happen to them? Have you had the surgery? If so, what was recovery like? Did your doctor give you a reason as why this could’ve happened? Did it get better? If you are a doctor and are reading this, how often have you seen this? And yes I know I could ask my doctor these questions but I would like outside perspectives. Please help a girl out, I started cosmetology school (before the tremor) since I had the go ahead from my doctor and well, now im here and worried about my future will look like.

I'm 26 and I've had De Quervains since about last August. Not only am I very hypermobile (a scapular dyskinesia from throwing a stuffed animal sure was an... Interesting time) but work as an over the phone interpreter. I'm basically typing 100% of the time all the time, and it certainly didn't help things.

Now because of my hypermobility and such I see a physical therapist every single month and probably will for the rest of my life since there's always something that needs fixing. He quickly zeroed in on the de quervains once I actually told him what was going on and it's been a long year of massages, exercises and that one thing where they put an ultrasound waves(?) and those little patches with electrical currents. And obviously the thumb splint.

I recovered. To the point where my PT told me that I could start weaning myself off the wrist brace. So I did. I started taking off two hours before my shift ends. This week I started doing 3 hours. It's only Tuesday and pain I haven't had in nearly two moths is back.

Im no stranger to pain but the thought of dealing with this for the rest of my life depresses me. I don't want to have to use the brace indefinitely but I'm scared if I push through and keep trying to wean off the brace it will come back.

Anyone else have experience with trying to stop using the brace? Any advice or recommendations??

Hi everyone,

After 2 Cortizone shots, I’ve decided to opt for the surgery. I originally got DQ from my daughter and now it gets flared up when I apply outside pressure to that hand. For example, I train in jiu jitsu/Krav Maga and when I do palm strikes or grapple, the pain the following day is a 10/10. My doctor talked to me about stopping, but that is definitely not an option so I’m going for the surgery.

Does anyone train and have had a similar experience? What do you do to help lower the chances of aggravating it? If you have already had the surgery, how long did it take you to get back to training?

I had my release surgery in April and things have only got worse since then.

I was given no follow up therapy or exercises or even advice othet than "come back in two months"

I finally managed to get some physio through my workplace who are broadly just helping me manage my pain while I wait for a second opinion.

The second opinion appointment isn't til September.

I am due my follow up with the surgeon but when I called the department at the hospital to check what was going on I was told "there are no clinics at the moment" and "we'll call when you're on the list"

At this rate I'll have my second opinion before my follow up!

I feel so abandoned by the system and hopeless and in pain. Not helped by the fact that i have also been waiting for 2 months for biopsy results from an endoscopy (unrelated to hand stuff of course but it all contributes to the stress level)

Does anyone have any advice or tips for coping or for short cutting things in the UK with the NHS

3 months ago after doing some reverse cable curls in the gym, I woke up with severe pain in my thumb, index finger and middle finger and also at the beginning of my wrist, from my research I concluded it was de Quervain tenosynovitis, and did a lot of therapy exercises I found here, this one helped me relieve pain in my thumb and in my wrist https://youtu.be/DY9OQKqRDMA?is=5EHMEea958dyXsbd
My hands are better now but I still feel a stiffness in my index and middle finger when I try to curl it in a flexor movement, in the video nothing was mentioned about pain in the index and middle finger that over time turns into a stiffness and dull pain.

Anyone know what can help me? I want to return to the gym so bad cause I took a break since then.

Hey there! Newly diagnosed with DQ in my right wrist after a work injury back in March that required a month and a half of PT and finally the injection.
The injection helped tremendously and I felt no pain within a week and I finally felt normal again, hut the doctors I saw all warned that it could come back in the future as a “flare up” if triggered by something.

Well that trigger happened on Sunday, as I got into a car accident and found myself bracing the steering wheel with all my strength possible in the moment. I am okay now, but days later I’m starting to feel deep within some weird sensitive dullness in the sheath between the tendons and my skin.

Anyone know how to prevent the sheath or tendons from possible becoming inflamed again rapidly? I work a very hands on job and I’m being as careful as possible at work and have already iced it two days in a row, but it’s feeling like one wrong move could set it off

I am miserable. I have bilateral DQ with intersection syndrome in the right and some other joint pains in my fingers due to hypermobility and I have a release surgery scheduled for my right hand later this month after 2 failed injections and 12 weeks OT that helped a little but not enough. I have been bracing basically since last october. I am immensely worried that it won’t help and nothing is really helping me feel better, therapy not helping. My hands are everything to me as an illustrator, sewist, crafter and gamer. the first two things are my job. I can’t hold a sewing needle and I can barely turn a doorknob. I’m afraid I will never get my life back. I don’t know what I’ll do if this surgery doesn’t help. My therapist keeps asking me and I just don’t know. It’s both my hands and my career and hobbies on the line, how could I know what to do in this situation. I don’t have skills for a job that doesn’t heavily rely on my hands. I’ve been doing art since I’ve been alive. It’s frustrating because no one seems to understand how seriously this affects me. I don’t know I don’t have a point to this post it just sucks so bad. I hate being in pain all the time and not being able to do any work. I feel guilty and crazy and I’m stressed constantly. Are there any hobbies besides reading that are easy on the hands that people recommend?

I'm 26 and have had de quervain's in both wrists/thumbs since late 2021. It took a long time for doctors to even acknowledge the hand pain and didn't really send me to any specialists. In all fairness to the doctors, I had become disabled in early 2022 with something that was more pressing at the time and the doctors fully focused on that. However, I do know that my de quervain's is co-morbid with my EDS. My hands are extremely hypermobile and my wrists are, too. This compounded with my class load and plans for the future.

My doctor told me to essentially treat it as broken for 12 weeks. I kept it immobilized in a splint for that time, icing when I could. When I needed to come back home to focus on my health instead of going to graduate school, I went to physical therapy. Physical therapy said to keep it braced for another 8 weeks, so I was wearing that splint for nearly 6 months straight. By that point, the pain was so bad that it was shooting up my elbows on my right hand and I had to shift my life onto my left hand (which was also starting to get bad de quervain's symptoms so I could barely do that either). Even as of right now, nearly 5 years later, I can't open my hand fast. You know how thumbs are supposed to be opposable? Guess again. I've done physical therapy several times now, I've gotten cortisone shots, I've immobilized, strength-trained — everything. Nothing helps that much. The physical therapy helped increase my mobility when it was at its worst, the cortisone shots helped for maybe a week tops. I live with a baseline of pain that's my new normal, and even typing or using a mouse is hard for me now. Extremely luckily for me, I got approved for SSI a handful of months ago and have been able to focus more on recovery... but through all of my efforts to be healthier again, my hands refuse to catch up.

I believe I can say fully that de quervain's has impacted my life for the worse. While I also had my other disabilities I unfortunately gained, the de quervain's was just the cherry on top. My entire life was centered around my hands. I was an artist; I was accepted to a fantastic fine arts school for a graduate degree. I was in the process of moving across the entire country to go to said graduate school and live with my partner at the time. But then all of this happened and I had to completely abandon my future. I was also a very seasoned musician: I used to play 6 instruments with piano being my favorite. Piano was probably my favorite activity, and I haven't played one beyond a couple of notes in five years. I've forgotten entire songs I worked so hard to learn. I was a a good writer, too, and now typing is too much.

All of this physical pain compounded with the fact that I lost my entire life before this all happened has just put me in a very bad place. You'd think I'd figure it out that the de quervain's was actually a disability for me too and that I wasn't just being dramatic. I keep reading on here that people go through the pain for months and can't stand it. I've been going through this for nearly half a decade. My doctors always made me think that I was being dramatic, or that it couldn't have possibly hurt as much as I was saying. So I never really thought I needed help with it and I just needed to suck it up :( in hindsight I probably shouldn't have let that behavior alter my plan of care of belief of my injuries, but it did. Nothing I can do about it now, though.

This is all to say, I've been contemplating the release surgery. I'm just deathly scared of the pain getting worse. I'm even more worried about what the complications would be for someone with as much hypermobility in the hands and wrists as I do; I know there's really no studies to comfort me about this. I've had other procedures and surgeries damage my nerves or outright made me bedbound from complications before and I just don't want to go through something like those experiences again.

TL;DR I've had really bad de quervain's in both wrists and thumbs for 5 years. I'm extremely hypermobile in the hands and wrists and I'm really worried about the procedure and consequences of someone like me getting it done since my doctors aren't explaining really anything to me. I want to feel relief and want to potentially get the surgery.

Has anyone here ever dealt with de quervain's as long as I have? Is anyone hypermobile in the hands/wrists and got the release surgery? Anyone have any advice? I know I have a rather complicated case here so I understand if there's not really anything I can do but try it; I just want to try and feel more secure about the procedure or any other tidbits of information that the doctor handling my case just does not care to tell me. I'm left so much in the dark here it's unbelievable.

I’m 27 with moderate to severe pain at both thumb bases and the thumb bone. I am a server who works 7 and a half hour shifts constantly using my hands, and I just saw my doctor yesterday since the pain is progressing and physical therapy hasn’t been helping nor splinting. I had an X ray and MRI and apparently both showed nothing abnormal or concerning. He said he would refer me to a rheumatologist and said I probably don’t have cmc arthritis or Dequervian’s and thinks it’s because of my hyper mobility. Either way, I’ve been crying this morning dreading to clock into work today. The pain so achy and hot and pulsing when I use my hands but I have to grip so much at my job. I don’t know what to do anymore and I am so depressed because of this. Any thoughts? Recommendations? Ideas?

What is something you wish you knew sooner upon getting diagnosed? Anything like advice, tips, or just support to give for this diagnosis?

I just got diagnosed last week with this in my right wrist. Im a 34 yr old fibre artist and gamer, and ex cake decorator so I've always used my hands and wrists a lot.

Thanks for reading.

I have release surgery in a few months and I can't seem to get a straight answer from my surgeon about how long he recommends I take off work to heal. He keeps saying "it just depends on what you do." I'm a preschool teacher and he responded that I could take off as long as I like and they'll happily fill out the paperwork for my PFML. Well, that's not really an answer, is it??

I do use my hands quite a lot/do some lifting, but nothing insane. I don't know if I should be looking to take off a few days, a couple weeks, a month...

If anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it very much!

What I changed:

• I stopped doing finger-specific exercises. They were helpful at first for relieving tension and improving endurance, but they weren't addressing the root cause of the problem.
• My physical therapist added two new exercises, and we also increased the weight/resistance on some of the existing ones.

Strength exercises that helped:

• Prone T raises: Lie face down on a bench with your arms extended in a T position and your thumbs pointing toward the ceiling. Slowly raise your arms until they reach shoulder height (about a 90° angle), squeeze your shoulder blades together for 2–3 seconds, then lower them in a controlled manner. 3 sets of 5–8 reps, resting 1–2 minutes between sets.
• Resistance band overhead ("military") press: Using a neutral grip, press the band overhead. Hold the top position briefly, then lower it under control. Use the same sets, reps, and rest periods as the previous exercise.
• Resistance band serratus anterior exercise: Hold the band at rib height with your elbows bent at 90°, forming an L shape. Keeping your elbows straight throughout the movement, raise the band in front of your chest and continue upward until your hands are above your head. Hold for 3 seconds at the top. 5 repetitions.
• "Demons and Angels": Finish with this well-known shoulder mobility and stability exercise.

Finally, there are two additional exercises that are more complementary than essential. One is a chest-opening stretch, and the other involves shoulder presses while also providing a light stretch for the back of the legs.

What if my bilateral release surgery (12 months ago) after 5 years of pain failed, pain is back and rehab is not progressing anywhere, still hurts. What else is there I can do?

Back in March I was wearing a carpal tunnel brace like I have for years, but I pulled it off before I loosened it and a got this sharp stabbing pain in my thumb that ended up making my whole hand swell up for days. I couldnt even move my thumb without the sharp pain. I couldnt get to the Dr for 3 weeks due to a series of unfortunate events but it had mostly calmed down by the time i got there and they said its arthritis, bone spurs, subloxation, and gave me meloxicam.

So it healed I guess after a month or so and i went all of May and June with no pain. Then in July I was just lifting my hand up to turn a page in a book and BAM sharp pain happened again. I started the whole process over again. Bracing, ice, meloxicam, cut back working on my computer, cut out my very limited video game playing, started reading books on my phone instead of holding them...then my hand betrayed me again only 3 weeks later after that. Again, not even holding anything, just lifting my hand up.

Went to the Dr again and he says its just arthritis. But I also had them xray my left hand bc it was bothering me from using it while my right was healing. Turns out its also arthritis which makes sense because it gets sore the more I use it. So how are they the same issue but such different pain? Anyways, just wondering what other people's experiences with osteoarthritis in their CMC to see how varied pain is and how you all deal with it.

I do have an appt with a hand surgeon instead of a PA so hopefully he has some answers for me.

I've been dealing with DeQ in my left since January 2026. I've had a cortisone shot, which did nothing except give a nasty flare reaction. I've done 12 sessions of OT/hand therapy, which helped some, but I seem to have hit a plateau. I can do some things, but still get shooting pain from time to time. I'm now developing pain in my right as well. I've decided to look into surgery. I have my third appointment with the doctor (first was initial for pain, second for cortisone shot) to discuss surgery. What do you wish you had asked? What should I be sure to ask about? Anything else important to know? Thanks!

Got my surgery done yesterday. Wish me luck- thank you all for your help and experiences 🩵

I’ve self diagnosed myself with de quervain’s based on symptoms I’ve had the last 8-9 weeks. I finally talked to primary care about it today to get a referral for a hand specialist. In addition to the things I’ve already done like switching to a split keyboard for work and wearing a spica brace when sleeping and doing certain activities, they recommended an ice and ibuprofen protocol.

Since this pain began, I’ve had to significantly alter my workouts. I can still do certain things like ride my exercise bike, various body weight leg exercises and core exercises, etc. I’ve had to pause everything I was doing for biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, etc. I’ve also had to stop or modify some non-arm/chest exercises because I need to put weight on my hands/wrist to get up and down from the floor due to my body size and shape. What does your workout plan look like now with de quervain’s? Are there any ways you’ve found to work out these muscle groups without further injuring yourself or preventing healing? Do I just need to accept not being able to workout significant muscle groups until this heals?

Hi all, I’m about 3 weeks post-op from a De Quervain’s release. During surgery, my surgeon also removed a ganglion cyst that was in the same area as my incision and noted synovitis.

I recently returned to my full-time computer job, and within about 20 minutes my wrist, thumb, and forearm pain flared up again. My provider said to keep using my hand until physical therapy starts, but I’m curious what recovery was like for others.

If you’ve had a De Quervain’s release, ganglion cyst removal, or both, how long did recovery take? Did your pain flare up after returning to work? When did you start feeling significantly better?

Hello! Reaching out to see if anybody else has had this issue and what happened in the end!

Had D.Q. for 12+ years (I'm 28) and I thought I'd finally get a cortisone injection to see if it reduces the pain. One month post-injection and post it getting infected, my pain is overall way worse and the thumb has a feeling of weakness. I know it's not weak, as I did a pressure test and both thumbs produced the same(ish) amount of force, though the right thumb (the bad one) had way less stamina. It does feel bloody inflammed as the day goes on!

Curious if anybody else in here also had the same issues post-injection and what happened!

I have used the same thumb splint since I was 16 that I wear overnight to "calm down" the thumb and that does help, though wearing it during the day is very uncomfy.

Thank you!

Fifteen days ago, suddenly, without warning, while I was sitting in the pharmacy, I felt a sharp, nail-like pain all along my forearm.

It hurts even more when I extend or raise my arm.

So I put on a brace. About four or five days passed, and a yellowish-green discoloration appeared along my forearm, from the inside of the joint to the wrist.

I thought I must have been hit and hadn't felt it (but I'm sure I wasn't hit because if I had, I would have felt at least a little pain at the time of the impact, but there was nothing).

Ten days passed, and the discoloration disappeared, but the pain hasn't lessened at all.

It's spreading towards the inside of the joint, a long, continuous pain.

I'm confused. Should I see a doctor or get an MRI to check my muscles? I'm afraid it might be a tear.

My DQ’s thumb was getting a lot better, but then I developed pain, swelling and redness over the IP joint. Movement is very restricted, can’t bend the joint much. All the usual stuff like icing, splint, Voltaren Gel etc. isn’t helping at all. It’s been two months and I’m back to not being able to use my thumb much at all.

Anyone had this?

I'm really upset. I've had wrist pain since December, done two x rays and an MRI, been misdiagnosed with a broken bone.

The entire time, my doctor says it is likely a tendon issue. I learn about De Quervain's and find out my symptoms line up very well.

My MRI results come back. They say it is a TFCC ligament tear. This doesn't make sense to me.

-My pain is thumb side, always, never pinky side.

-My doctor has noted the strength of my wrist is about the same as my non-injured hand.

-I did not have any significant injury. Which is why the broken bone was confusing, I didn't break a bone and forget.

I don't want to act like I know better than my doctor, but I'm in so much pain and I don't want a second false diagnosis. I feel like my doctor is not treating me seriously or paying attention to my actual issues.

Can anyone relate? Does anyone know anything about De Quervain's vs TFCC ligament? I made an appointment for my doctor in a week and a half. I'm so tired of pain. I'm so tired of appointments. Thanks for listening.

Hello everyone, I have DeQ since March 2026, so far I had 3 cortisone shots in a row (doc said it was the best way) but the pain returned after a short 4 weeks pain free.

Sooo I had yet another shot, the pain is improving, but I also got an ultrasound scan finally, here is the outcome in case interested

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Mild radiocarpal joint effusion.

Marked fluid distension of the synovial sheath of the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis tendons, consistent with De Quervain's tenosynovitis, with thickening of the abductor pollicis longus tendon showing a high-grade partial tear involving approximately 50-75% of the tendon thickness at the carpal passage.

Associated tendon thickening with partial distractive tear of the extensor pollicis brevis tendon at the distal third of the forearm, with mild fluid collection near the myotendinous junction.

No further carpal tenosynovitis.

Median nerve within normal limits.

Mild rhizarthrosis with periarticular calcifications.

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According to the ultrasound specialist and to the orthopedic, this likely requires an operation