Objective:
De Quervain tenosynovitis is the most common cause of lateral wrist
pain. The diagnosis can be made with the Finkelstein test when pain is
provoked with wrist ulnar deviation. Conservative treatment including
rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy is
applied first, then there may be a need for corticosteroid injections,
and in resistant cases, surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate
the effectiveness of neural therapy (NT) on pain and hand functions in
patients with De Quervain tenosynovitis.
Methods: A total of 36 patients admitted between May 2019 and
March 2020 were randomly assigned to neural therapy (NT) and control
groups. Hand rest and thumb spica splint were applied to all the
patients, and NT interventions to the NT group only. A visual analog
scale (VAS) and the Duruöz Hand index (DHI) were used to measure pain
and functionality at baseline, then at 1 and 12 months after the end of
the treatment.
Results: The NT and control groups both showed improvements in
VAS and DHI scores at 1 and 12 months compared to baseline. The VAS
scores were significantly lower at both 1 and 12 months compared to
baseline in the NT group. The DHI scores were lower in the NT group at 1
month, and at 12 months there was no significant difference between the
two groups. No adverse effects were seen in any patient.
Conclusion: NT seems to be effective in reducing pain and
improving hand functions in patients with De Quervain tenosynovitis.
Key words: Local anesthetics, De Quervain tenosynovitis, Wrist
pain