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What is “Mummy’s wrist”? Stenosing tenosynovitis, commonly known as “Mummy's wrist” or De Quervain’s syndrome, refers to the aseptic inflammation of the tendons and soft tissues on the thumb side of the wrist, caused by overstrain or acute sprain. The main symptom of this condition is pain experienced at the base of the thumb near the wrist, which could radiate up the arm or down the thumb. If long-term inflammation does occur, it will thicken the tendon, which therefore, narrows the space in the tendon sheath, resulting in a hindered sliding movement of the tendon in the tendon sheath. This leads to the phenomenon of a “jamming finger” when the patient uses their thumb. “Mummy's wrist” is very common in those who engage in activities requiring an inordinate use of the thumb for long periods of time or for repetitive actions, such as people who use mobile phones and computers for prolonged periods of time, housewives and nannies. How to identify “Mummy’s wrist”? A simple way to identify whether or not you have “Mummy’s wrist”, is to form a clenched fist with your thumb wrapped under your other four fingers, and then gently press your wrist downwards in the direction of your little finger. If a prominent pain is felt at the base of the thumb near the wrist, you may have “Mummy's wrist”. This simple test is also one of the recommended physiotherapy exercises for “Mummy's wrist”, when done slowly and properly!
Figure 1: Simple diagnostic test and physiotherapy exercise for “Mummy’s wrist”.
How to relieve the pain in “Mummy’s wrist”? In addition to the above exercise, there are two other exercises you can do at home to help relieve the pain:- Place a rubber band around all five fingers, then stretch them out and hold for 5-7 seconds. Repeat this action 5-10 times.
- Stretch out your arm and hold a small can in your hand. With your thumb facing upwards, slowly tilt your wrist upwards, hold for 5 seconds, then relax and rest. Repeat this action 5-10 times.
Figure 2: Physiotherapy exercises for “Mummy’s wrist”.
Massaging the acupressure points near the wrist also helps in relieving the pain in “Mummy’s wrist”. These acupressure points include Yu Ji, He Gu, Yang Xi, and Lie Que acupoints. Press and rub each acupoint using your finger pulp for 1 minute and massage the wrist to relieve the discomfort.
Figure 3: Acupressure massage to relieve the pain in “Mummy’s wrist”.
How to prevent having “Mummy’s wrist”? Here are a few tips to help in the prevention of “Mummy’s wrist”:- Avoid repetitive wrist movements by modifying daily actions to reduce the stress incurred on the wrist
- Avoid actions that require excessive wrist flexion and thumb abduction
- Increasing frequency of rest
- Wear a wrist guard
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