Hi guys, so I’ve had my des quervains for 19 weeks now. When I first had it, it was good after about 13 weeks with proper brace usage but when it was getting better, I stopped wearing it and about 19 weeks now it’s come back and it’s worse. I’ll be in immense pain if my thumb overly abducts. I’ll do extended gaming on my PC without a brace also.. Do you think if I properly care for it, I can avoid seeing a doctor?
Hi All,
I've had wrist pain for a few months and I suspected it was De Quervain's Tenosynovitis. Went to an ortho to get it diagnosed and get a cortisone shot to reduce inflammation. They did a few X-rays of my hand, looked at it to determine that there was no fracture and then gave me the cortisone shot. I was a new patient in this clinic and was maybe there for an hour total. My insurance was billed $2.5K total (see images). Almost $1K for X-rays and another $1.5K for the consultation and injection. I've had to pay ~$620 of that out-of-pocket. This seems a bit excessive so I wanted to check if this is normal or perhaps I got billed excessively and maybe I should dispute? Looking for any insight or guidance. Thanks!
Had surgery about a year ago when my first kid was about a year old. Now have a second kid and wondering if I’m at risk of it coming back, or is it permanently fixed?
Hi, loves. The surgery is a getaway for most things people and most people suffering without things getting help should get it. But even case like mine exist.
I have suffered from dequervain bilaterally from 2020, shut inside and all... Never braced properly (never told to), the first year care was atrocious. Then I got into rehab eventually; didn't work for me, tried three types+some online videos.
Fast forward, I am cycling through phases of giving up and trying to rehab again only to fail. Doctor said injection is dumb. I avoided surgery cause... Well I had school to do, work to do etc (uni student age btw). Eventually, after my bachelor's thesis, I went for it.
Summer of 2025, 1.5 months in between, got the surgery. They told me in a few weeks I'll be good. No need for special rehab. Give it time.
In a few weeks, it didn't get better. They told me give it three months at a post surgery consultation. In fact, five months after I still struggled but yeah it WAS BETTER (?) for day to day Things like showers and cutting and holding pans.
But I tried Putting some weight Not even HEAVY on it, progressively, watching for pain signals during and after, at the gym recently in 2026. Despite being careful the symptoms came back and my hands feel like before the surgery. It's been over a week of being in pain again and nothing is helping me much :(
edit: I do have neck and forearm issues, I saw wellness nerd video but idk if it's the answer to my chronic issues
I wanted to post here for a bit of advice and hear about other’s experience since I’m only a 19 year old student and I’m genuinely lost.
I’ve been experiencing pain suddenly since end of November. I went to physiotherapy in December where we had one appointment and they sent me home with a taped up hand and exercises to do. I was also recommended a brace to buy, which I did. I tried some of the exercises but it genuinely didn’t feel like it helped much and as a student I was so busy that I just started living with the pain until it just got worse. I contacted them asking what’s my next step, I was told to get a cortisone injection if it’s not better by February.
And of course, it was not better by February so I had to make an appointment with my GP. Which when my appointment did come, it honestly felt rather dismissive since I barely got to speak and they just gave me a referral to a hand surgeon place. I made my appointment for them later that day, and the earliest appointment available was in late March… By then actually my hand pain was getting less since I wore my brace everywhere.
By the time late March came by, I went for my appointment and spoke about what’s been happening. They recommended we could do surgery or an injection, I decided injection because it was in the middle of my quarter and I had exams. I had gotten the injection by the surgeon’s assistant, the surgeon explained to me I would have to do exercises to make sure my thumb does not get stiff. After the injection was done, I asked the assistant what exercises I should do and they told me just to take it easy and do my day-to-day tasks. Which is exactly what I did. The first 5 weeks were genuinely amazing, my hand felt so much better and I honestly forgot about the pain.
Now, 5 weeks after the injection, the pain started to come back but worse… It got progressively worse as the weeks went by. I’m now 8 weeks post injection and I feel like I’m losing my mind. The pain is worse than originally and sometimes the pain is so bad I cry. I checked on the app when my check up phone appointment is and it’s on June 18th and I just feel like I can’t wait that long. I also found out on the app that there were actually exercises to do… Now I’m wondering if this is why my hand is in pain again.
I’m seriously considering surgery but my whole family is against it. I really need advice on this or just for people to share their experience because I just feel like I can’t take it anymore. Do I just wait and keep using the brace? Now even using the brace hurts.
If you read all of this, genuinely thank you so much :)
Until when be like this..undergo for injection and follow up by fisioterapi but nothing reduce the pain..
I had de Quervain's surgery yesterday on my right hand and a cortisone shot, the third one actually, on my left. The doctor mentioned that I had a lot of tissue that needed to be removed, potentially a hereditary predisposition. I also complained about pain on the ulnar side (down my pinky, all the way to the wrist and toward my elbow), which I hope will slowly subside now that I've had the procedure done. I am in a lot of pain overall. I am trying to ice it and keep it elevated. I've been prescribed hydrocodone to take every 6 hours. I am feeling numb all the way from my thumb to the midsection of my arm. I am writing this post to see if anyone else felt the same, how was your recovery? And if there's any advice you could give me, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you.
I’ve been experiencing pain in the part of my wrist that’s connected to my thumb for about two months and finally got diagnosed with De Quervain syndrome. I just woke up one morning with pain there and it never went away.
I was instructed to wear a splint for the next two weeks and if the pain persists, I’m to see an orthopedist. The way this was presented to me was that the splint should help get me back to normal. However, after perusing this subreddit, I suspect there’s a chance that this will be my new reality for the rest of my life.
The point of this post is to gauge if others were able to recover completely and return to normal or if this condition was for life. I’m also open to your advice on relieving this pain. Thank you!
I got the cortisone injection 3 days ago and now I’m feeling some pain in my wrist, is that normal?
Doctor told me the cortisone should kick in after a week. Is that what you guys experienced as well?
I am hoping to get the injection since I have been dealing with the pain and unable to do my hobby’s for 8+ weeks now, but overall I'm have no idea what to expec, I’m in the UK, on the NHS.
Hi there
I am a 34yo Male, got diagnosed with DeQuervains 2 weeks ago, its been huriting for like 4-6 weeks now.
I have been icing, I use topical NSAIDS, I was wearing a thumb spica braise, but developped an allergic reaction to it so I have stopped wearing it.
I am going for a cortisol shot on wednesday,
But man... my wrist and thumb movement just keeps getting worse. My mobility and range is gone, I cannot put any weight on it, i cant flip my wrist. Opening a door hurts, putting down the bed of a truck with my hand kills.
is it normal for the pain to progress so intensely? I got an X-Ray and it showed nothing worth noting...
Has anyone else experienced this?
a comic i posted on my instagram explaining my de quervain’s. i have been suffering for over 2 years now although i didnt realize it until last october. this condition is ruining my life and it’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. as an artist, I feel like my entire life and career got derailed and I fear I will never be able to do what I used to do again. My case is somewhat more complex as I developed carpal tunnel and de q in my left hand from overcompensation for my right hand which also has pain in the first dorsal compartment. I’ve had 3 steroid injections in my right hand and I am waiting for the recent two to set in to see if they help but I am really not optimistic. I now have to wait 3 months to get surgery. I feel like my life is slipping away from me. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
I’ve only been doing physical therapy for my hands and wrists for about 3 weeks, but they’ve been hurting so much that I feel like something isn’t right. I have trigger fingers in almost all of my fingers on both hands, and I haven’t had surgery.
The trigger fingers started a while ago and were somewhat improving with steroid injections, hot compresses, massages, and some exercises I was doing on my own. But when it started affecting my thumbs, it felt different, especially because the thumb is such an important part of the hand. Around the same time, I also developed De Quervain’s tendinitis, and later pain on the ulnar side of my wrists especially on the right side, but in both hands.
I’ve been trying to avoid surgery and thought physical therapy would help, but honestly it has felt like the opposite. Since starting therapy, I’ve been waking up with severe wrist pain and pain in the palms of my hands as well.
I’ve done some research, and it seems like many of the exercises I’m doing are more for general wrist tendinitis, while some of the trigger finger exercises like squeezing a ball feel too aggressive for my condition right now. I also haven’t received any ultrasound therapy or treatments focused on reducing inflammation first.
I’m still working and regularly lifting and carrying heavy boxes, so I feel like my hands and wrists are already under a lot of strain. Because of that, I wonder if starting with gentler stretches and inflammation reduction would make more sense before strengthening exercises.
Would it be okay for me to ask them to adjust my therapy program? I’m not sure how to bring it up without sounding like I think I know better than the therapist… I just feel concerned because my symptoms have gotten worse
Im 3 weeks post op and have a lot of tightness still in my wrist where ive marked on the picture. But slightly more concerningly i have a LOT of pain, tightness and discomfort along the length of my thumb and around the marked knuckle.
Anyone else experiemce this? Im seeing my surgeon for a follow up next week so im going to ask him. But ive seen so many people on here say they had surgery and were practically pain free straight away.
I wasnt getting pain like this before the op is the concern. It was mostly wrist and towards the underside of my thumb not along the top side.
I have had DQ since last July. I most likely got it from excessive drawing/pc gaming. I have done physical therapy, stretching and strengthening and it did not help much. I used a brace for awhile, and I was still having that pain. The pain was enough to prevent me from doing the things I wanted. I had gone to the doctor to think about surgery or a cortisone shot. I leaned towards surgery as the shot did not sound like the best solution for my chronic problem.
Then I was surprisingly given an opportunity for surgery in only a few days! There was a cancellation and I was able to get in very fast. This is important as I will be moving this summer and the timetable for recovery would not have really worked.
So I scheduled the surgery, and it's in a few days but somehow, the pain is just gone. Not entirely there is a twinge here there, but I was able to do all the activities I was able to do prior the getting DQ. Out of nowhere?! No need for a brace or ice, or ibuprofen or anything. Is my mind playing tricks on me? I don't know if I should get the surgery now. (I'm still leaning towards getting it but now my confidence is a little shook now.) It is at most like a pain scale of 2 or 3 for maybe a second or two.
Has anyone had this experience? Is my mind playing tricks on me?
I’m 2 1/2 weeks post op and I have a small painful bump about an inch away from the incision. It‘s longer than it is round and doesn't really feel like a ganglion cyst. Its been there for a while but seems to be worse (bigger, more painful) after a bike ride today.
Anyone deal with this post surgery? I’m planning on asking my surgeon on Monday.
Hi DQV community. I have this sharp bump at my wrist on my affected side. This (bone I think?) area on my unaffected wrist seems to have a lot more tissue covering it. Does anyone else notice this issue? It’s not painful—it just feels unusual.
hi all. i have bilateral de quervain’s and carpal tunnel syndrome as well as intersection syndrome in my right forearm. i have sought treatment and have already been through OT and 3 steroid injections. The next step is surgery but I can’t do that until August at the earliest. I also have no idea if I will actually be able to fully recover from surgery because it isn’t a guaranteed recovery. I am looking for a tool i could strap to my hand to hold pencils/pens and brushes while braced without having to use my thumb or a tool that could be strapped to my forearm that does the same thing. or a prosthetic thumb that can attach to me even though i have a hand? i have a 3d printer if that helps.
