De Quervain's Tenosynovitis is a painful repetitive strain injury (RSI) that affects the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, it will probably hurt when you move your wrist, grip objects or even just make a fist.

Tendons attach muscles to bone. They act as a rope to pull a bone / joint when the muscle contracts. When you grip, pinch or make a fist with your hand, two tendons in your wrist and lower thumb will glide smoothly through a small tunnel that connects them to the base of the thumb. Repetitive movements such as gripping a computer mouse or moving a computer mouse can lead to irritation of the sheath around the two tendons. This can lead to thickening and swelling of the tendon and thereby a restriction on the thumbs ability to move.

Treatment for de Quervain's tenosynovitis is aimed at reducing the inflammation around the tendon. This is usually achieved through a combination of anti-inflammatory medication and Physiotherapy. Physiotherapy treatment may include:

It is important to consider your working environment when looking at treating De Quervain's Tenosynovitis. We recommend you consult with your GP and a Physiotherapist, in order to get a definitive diagnosis and any medical treatment that you may require. Once your symptoms are beginning to improve, you may want to try to re-introduce using a computer mouse again. Remember to start slowly and gradually increase the amount of time you use your mouse for.

Many people with de Quervain's Tenosynovitis find that the gripping of a computer mouse aggravates their symptoms. If this is the case, you may need to consider changing to an ergonomic mouse that reduces the amount of gripping force required by your thumb to secure the mouse.  

A vertical mouse will help to put your wrist in a neutral posture. This change in working posture will help to alleviate some of the pain symptoms you may be experiencing. Below is our top 3 recommended Ergonomic Mice for De Quervain's Tenosynovitis.