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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffWhen you grip, grasp, clench, pinch or wring anything in your hand, you use two major tendons in your wrist and lower thumb. These tendons run side by side from your forearm through the thumb side of your wrist. They normally glide unhampered through the small tunnel that connects them to the base of the thumb. In de Quervain's tenosynovitis, the tendons' slippery covering becomes inflamed, restricting movement of the tendons.
A common cause is chronic overuse of your wrist. For example, peeling carrots involves a repetitive motion, a bent wrist and the gripping of the peeler. If you peel carrots or potatoes day after day, hour after hour, this combination may be enough to irritate the sheath around the two tendons.
Other causes of de Quervain's tenosynovitis include:
- Direct injury to your wrist or tendon; scar tissue can restrict movement of the tendons
- Inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis
