Tendonitis in the hands and wrists

Tendonitis in the hand is an inflammation that occurs in the tendons of the hands located in the dorsal or ventral part of the hand. Excessive use and repeated movements can cause tendonitis, developing symptoms such as swelling, tingling, burning and pain in the hands, even with small and light movements.

The individuals most affected by this type of tendonitis are cleaning ladies, seamstresses, bricklayers, painters, people who work typing long hours in a row, assembly line workers, who perform the same task for hours, people who use the computer mouse a lot and all those who perform tasks related to the frequent and repetitive use of hands.

Symptoms and how to identify

Signs and symptoms that may indicate inflammation in the tendons of the hands may be:

• Localized pain and weakness as difficulty in holding a glass filled with water and pain when making the rotation movement with your hands as when opening the door handle or turning on a tap.

When the individual realizes that the symptoms are frequent, he / she should look for a physiotherapist or orthopedist who will have an accurate diagnosis through specific tests performed in the office and in some cases it may be necessary to perform an x-ray. Pain provocation tests are an excellent tool that the physiotherapist can use to identify the exact location of the pain and its amplitude.

6 steps to treat tendonitis in the hands

Treatment can be done with ice packs, use of anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants indicated by the doctor and some physiotherapy sessions to relieve pain and discomfort, fighting inflammation, improving hand movement and quality of life.. See the necessary steps.

1. Take rest

It is important to avoid wearing out the joint and pulping the tendons, giving the necessary rest, so whenever possible avoid straining the muscles and try to use a rigid splint to immobilize the hand and see the possibility of taking a break from work for a few days.

2. Apply ice

You can apply ice packs to the sore area 3 to 4 times a day because the cold reduces the pain and swelling, relieving the symptoms of tendonitis.

3. Using medicines

The drugs should only be used for 7 days to avoid stomach problems and taking a fasting gastric protector like Ranitidine can be useful to protect the stomach walls by preventing medicated gastritis. The doctor may also recommend the use of anti-inflammatory ointments such as Cataflan, Biofenac or Gelol, performing a brief massage at the site of the pain until the product is completely absorbed.

4. Doing physical therapy

Physiotherapy should preferably be performed daily to combat symptoms and cure tendonitis faster. The physiotherapist may indicate the use of ice, devices such as tension and ultrasound to fight pain and inflammation, in addition to stretching and muscle strengthening exercises because when the muscles and tendons are properly strong and with good amplitude, there is less likelihood of tendonitis.

5. Food

You should prefer anti-inflammatory and healing foods such as turmeric and boiled egg to speed healing.

See a specific technique against tendonitis and how food can help in the following video with physiotherapist Marcelle Pinheiro and nutritionist Tatiana Zanin:

6. Surgery

When the previous treatments are not enough to control the symptoms and cure tendonitis, the orthopedist may indicate the performance of surgery to scrape the tendons, eliminating the localized nodules, thus reducing the thickness of the affected tendon. However, after surgery it is usually necessary to return to physiotherapy sessions.

Check the signs of tendonitis improvement and worsening here.

The treatment time varies from person to person, and if the lesion is treated early in the onset of symptoms, in a few weeks it is possible to achieve a cure, but if the person only seeks medical or physiotherapeutic help after months or years of the symptoms installed., recovery can be prolonged.