Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Wrist problems?

of course i'm not a doctor, but then again it was a doctor that forced me to wear the brace that actually caused the DeQuervain's tendinitis that I had.
If i were you, i would not wear the brace regardless of what the doctor says- this is the advice i wish i had been given. of course everyone is different, but if you are responding badly to it, then there is a good chance i am correct.

if i were you, i'd ask the doctor to send you to a physical therapist if its too bad for you to treat on your own.

now days when my DeQuervain's tendinitis acts up, i do the following:
ice and heat
rest it - little to no typing especially
wear sports wrist bands for a little support

i just don't want to see you have to go through what i went through,
i really thought i was going to have to give up my career,
but slowly with a physical therapists help, it got better.

one more little trick:
i switched from ball point pens to gel ink pens.
my favorite brand is Uniball Vision.

activities that can really set off DeQuervain's tendonitis:
stapling
cutting with scissors
turning pages in a book, flipping through papers
nail clipping
anything that is repetitious with the thumb
pipetting if you work in a lab
using the thumb while typing (i have a mouse with my laptop to avoid using
my thumb on the touchpad
writing with a ball point pen or a pencil

if i could, i'd take NSAIDS, but i can't.

sue

unfortunately i'm unable to go to a physical therapist as i have no insurance and am waiting to go before a judge for disability. i have been alternating hot/cold, i'll use some of your other suggestions. i do type now but only with my left hand. i'm afraid if i use it too much i'll start having some of the same problems with the left hand next. thank you for the information it is much appreciated.
Rick

i understand not being able to go to PT....
if i had known then what i know now, i wouldn't have had to have gone most likely.
a lot of what i wrote, i learned in PT; some was by my own trial and often error.

you are correct to not overdo the other hand.
i didn't realize that at first; i had always been healthy and figured that the left wrist was just a fluke, so i did everything one handed including typing and steering while driving my car - that caused me to develop the same tendinitis in my right wrist within about a month of simple overuse.
but that wrist never got nearly as bad because i kept it out of the brace and had by then learned the other tricks, so i was able to treat that one on my own initially when it was newly inflamed, and have managed it mostly ok for almost the last 10 years (wow, i can't believe its been that long).

i've also been meaning to get voice recognition software,
i almost did when i hurt the outer-side of my left wrist,
but i never found the time.....that would probably help all of us
with wrist issues.

hope you find some relief soon, be careful with your hands, and if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask, but try not to type too much

Sue

Sue,
If you can't take oral NSAIDs, you could try topical NSAIDs. I got my by prescription at a compounding pharmacy. It was ketoprofen. At one point, I also tried ketoprofen with baclofen, a muscle relaxant.

The topical NSAIDs do not go systemic. You get a high concentration of NSAID right where you need it and nowhere else. A couple others here have tried this and like it very much. Possi calls it her "magic cream" or something like that.

Karen

Hi Karen,

While it's likely true that a locally applied topical NSAID for a specific area may not have any systemic affect, there are/were? topical nsaids purposely designed to deliver the medication systemically by being absorbed through the skin. The hope was this method would decrease the risk of stomach ulcers. Unfortunately these were found to have the very same negative effects on the stomach lining. I don't think I saved it but remember reading the abstract quite some time ago. Anyway, I just thought you might find that an interesting, if irrelevant, little fact.

Hugs,
mig

karen,
good to know about that topical NSAID; i wonder why none of the various doctors i've seen for the various tendinitises (who knew i couldn't take NSAIDS) didn't tell me about it.

i did use that sports cream with the topical salisylic acid, but always wondered if it really did anything. i also used ben gay, but wondered if that was just to dull the pain more than anything.

would this topical NSAID just be a stronger version of the sports cream?
or maybe you aren't familar with the sports cream....

anyway, thanks,

sue