Causes of recurrence of wrist tenosynovitis

Written by Guan Yu Hua
Orthopedic Surgery
Updated on March 31, 2025
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Tendinitis is most commonly seen in the wrist or metacarpophalangeal joints. Typically, patients will experience redness, swelling, heat, and tenderness in the wrist, along with limited joint mobility. It is usually recommended that patients rest and avoid overexertion. Due to repeated friction caused by overexertion, swelling of the annular ligament or tendon sheath can occur. This leads to insufficient circulation of synovial fluid within the joints, and excessive friction can cause damage to the tendons and tendon sheaths, resulting in chronic inflammation and swelling. This is how tendinitis develops. Repetitive tasks, such as flipping a spoon at the wrist or cooking, can cause pain, with the most common being de Quervain's tenosynovitis, which can be confirmed by physical examination. Activities like wringing a towel or cooking can lead to pain. When necessary, treatments such as injections or small needle knife therapy may be required. Rest can relieve most symptoms, but there is a high chance of recurrence. Attention should be paid to wearing wrist braces and applying local heat can help.

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Written by Lv Yao
Orthopedics
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What ointment is used for tenosynovitis?

Tendon sheath inflammation is a sterile inflammation caused by overwork and frequent flexing and extending of the tendon, leading to repeated abrasion and compression within the fibrous sheath of the tendon sheath. This results in local exudation, swelling, and fibrosis, which narrows the sheath canal. If the symptoms are mild, conservative treatment can be chosen, such as applying non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications, and topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic plasters for symptomatic treatment, combined with rest, immobilization, and physical therapy to alleviate symptoms. If symptoms worsen, local encapsulation treatment may be necessary. If symptoms persist and conservative treatment is ineffective, then surgery may be required.

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Written by Lv Yao
Orthopedics
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Tendon sheath inflammation symptoms

Tendon sheath inflammation refers to a sterile inflammation that occurs between the tendon and the tendon sheath due to chronic overuse, impacting the tendon's gliding due to proliferative compression, causing localized pain, and restricted movement. In the early stages of tendon sheath inflammation, symptoms can be alleviated by rest, physiotherapy, and the topical application of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. If the compression symptoms are severe and significantly restrict movement, resulting in snapping, surgery is recommended to excise the narrowed tendon sheath to restore function and relieve pain.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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How to treat tendon sheathitis?

This mainly depends on the severity of the patient's tendinitis, which determines the proactive treatment plan. For instance, if the tendinitis is very severe, with local snapping and limited flexion and extension movements, it is necessary to actively carry out treatments such as small-needle-knife surgery, tenosynovectomy, or partial excision surgery. However, for tendinitis that merely presents as pain symptoms, conservative treatment can still be chosen. For example, local injection, reducing physical activity, and insisting on daily local hot washing. Using some topical ointments that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, many patients will gradually recover through these active treatment methods.

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Written by Lv Yao
Orthopedics
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How to diagnose tenosynovitis?

Tendinitis refers to the condition where the tendons and their sheaths, due to excessive flexing and extending activities, develop adhesion and exudation between each other, leading to a painful aseptic inflammatory response. Generally, when tendinitis occurs, there is restricted movement in flexing and extending, as well as localized pain symptoms. Moreover, tenderness is also pronounced in areas where tendinitis symptoms are evident. Therefore, the diagnosis of tendinitis can be made through symptoms and examination, and when necessary, ultrasound and MRI can be used to reflect local swelling and inflammatory responses.

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Written by Li Jin
Orthopedics
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How to relieve tenosynovitis

Tendinitis is a chronic occupational disease that can cause inflammatory damage to the tendon and tendon sheath, leading to symptoms such as swelling and limited mobility. For the treatment of tendinitis, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be taken, or topical ointments can be applied to the affected area to reduce inflammation and relieve pain, which can effectively alleviate the symptoms of tendinitis. It is also important to rest, and treatments such as heat application, physiotherapy, or local injections can be used. These methods can effectively improve symptoms and even achieve a cure. If conservative treatment is ineffective or if there is a functional impairment, minimally invasive procedures or surgery may also be considered.