What to do with postpartum tenosynovitis

Postpartum tenosynovitis can be mild or severe. You can massage your wrists with hot compresses to promote local blood circulation, which helps relieve pain and prevent worsening of the condition. In addition, tenosynovitis is mainly caused by excessive fatigue, coupled with holding the baby for a long time and lying in one position without being able to move, which will cause this problem. If you cannot relieve it at home, it is necessary to go to the hospital for treatment.

In the early stages or when the condition is not serious, you can relieve the pain by applying hot compresses to the wrist, applying antipyretic and analgesic ointments locally, and give the wrist a full rest.

This disease is called wrist tenosynovitis, and its medical name is "radial styloid stenosing tenosynovitis". On the radial side of the wrist, which is the side with the thumb, you can feel a bony protrusion called the radial styloid process. There are two tendons passing through the radial styloid process (extensor pollicis brevis tendon and extensor pollicis longus tendon). Both tendons go to the thumb and participate in the movement of the thumb.

Around the two tendons in the wrist, there is a sleeve-like structure that wraps around the tendons, like the sheath of a sword, which is called the tendon sheath. When the wrist is often in a state of repetitive or continuous force, excessive friction and strain will occur between the tendon and the tendon sheath, leading to local aseptic inflammation, congestion and swelling around the tendon, increased pressure in the tendon sheath, and reactive thickening of the tendon sheath. Once this happens, any movement that requires sliding or exerting force on these two tendons in the wrist will cause severe pain on the radial side of the wrist.

Tenosynovitis of the wrist is very common from caring for an infant. Mothers need to hold their babies, breastfeed, and express milk frequently, which can easily induce this disease over time. Doctors abroad often refer to this disease as "mommy's hand". In China, it is usually the elderly who help their children take care of babies, which can be called "grandmother's hand" or "grandma's hand".

Hormonal changes are also a common trigger for the disease. In women, it often occurs before and after pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation. Hormonal changes can lead to edema and increased pressure within the tendon sheath, making it more likely to develop tenosynovitis due to strain.

Other activities that require prolonged repetitive use or exertion of force on the wrist and thumb can also easily induce wrist tenosynovitis, such as cross-stitch embroidery, knitting, etc. Housewives who have heavy housework or chefs who often need to weigh spoons and pots are also prone to this disease.

The typical symptoms of wrist tenosynovitis are pain on the radial side of the wrist (thumb side) when the wrist is exerted or tilted toward the little finger. For example, there is obvious pain when pouring water from a thermos. Sometimes there is severe pain and the desired action cannot be completed. There will be swelling and heat at the base of the thumb on the wrist, and you can feel a lump that is painful when pressed.

How to determine whether you have wrist tenosynovitis? One of the most commonly used examination methods can be used to verify this: hold the thumb in the palm of your hand, and tilt the wrist downward (to the little finger side). If there is obvious pain on the side of the wrist at the base of the thumb, it can generally be diagnosed as tenosynovitis.