Mommy’s Thumb (De Quervein’s Syndrome)

Mommy’s Thumb (De Quervein’s Syndrome)

Mommy’s Thumb is an extremely painful condition affecting the thumb and wrist in mostly, but not only, young mothers. It involves the inflammation of the tendons that are responsible for pulling the thumb backwards (similar action to the signage used by hitchhikers). This inflammation causes pain (which is usually a sharp shooting pain which gets aggravated with even the slightest workload of the hand) which can be evident anywhere from the forearm to the middle joint of the thumb.

Mothers with new born babies are prone to this condition due to them having to lift up their babies dozens of times per day and the tendons are not used to such overload and end up getting inflamed. When one lifts up a baby, the usual stance is to pick him/her up with your hands under the armpits, with the thumbs pointing upwards and the rest of the fingers wrapped around the baby’s back. This position laces immense stress and load on the tendons innervating the thumb and increases the risk of an overuse injury and the subsequent inflammation. As mentioned, this condition is not restricted to only mothers and prolonged lifting and carrying (i.e. when moving house) has also resulted in this overuse injury.

Common signs that indicate that you might have developed Mommy’s Thumb are the following:

• Having trouble lifting even the smallest of object, i.e. a cup.
• Pain is evident on the thumb side of the wrist when a twisting or gripping action is performed.
• There is a limited range of movement in the affected thumb and it feels stiff.
• It is painful to perform the action of making a fist.
• Sufferers complain of having limited control over their hand i.e. scared of dropping things

Treatment for Mommy’s Thumb is relatively simple and non-intrusive. Very few surgeons would recommend surgery (except in very severe and chronic cases) but that in itself is a relatively quick process (takes only a few minutes) and the recovery is quick. More conservative treatment would include:

• Splinting the thumb with a ‘thumb Spica’ splint which can be purchased at a pharmacist or online. This offloads the stress on the thumb tendons.
• Anti-inflammatory medications (when recommended to you by a medical practitioner) will speed up the inflammatory response.
• Lifestyle changes to avoid you form overusing the affected hand.
• Gentle stretching and massage is beneficial in reducing the ‘stiffness’ experienced and the quicker the full ROM of the thumb is achieved, the quicker the recovery.
• Steroid injections could be administered by the physician/consultant but they will usually only do this if other conservative methods haven’t worked; a constant debilitating pain is evident and/or it results in a very limited level of activity and affects the person’s functional ability.

One very effective way to resolve this condition (or to avoid it in the future) is changing the way in which one picks up/carries one’s baby (or if not baby related, any other objects or boxes). In terms of new born babies, the key is to pick up your baby with your palms facing upwards (towards the sky) as much as possible. It might be uncomfortable or difficult to do this with both hands but even if you do it with only one hand and then alternate which hand faces upward, this will significantly reduce the load on the tendons and resolve/prevent the condition. Also, the manner in which the baby is held/cradled will also assist. Using the forearm, arm, and fingertips while relaxing the thumb while holding the baby will also decrease the stress on the tendons (wearing the splint will do the same thing).