Brief Answer: Use heat and ibuprofen every 8 hourly. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for posting your query. De Quervain's tendonitis is due to an inflammation of the tendon sheath of the base of the thumb. The main treatment involves wearing a splint 24 hours a day for four to six weeks to immobilize the affected area and refraining from any activities that aggravate the condition. Heat and home ultrasound may be applied to reduce inflammation three times a day for fifteen minutes each. If symptoms continue, you can take anti-inflammatory medication such as naproxen or ibuprofen thrice a day after meals. In persistent pain or swelling you may need to inject the area with steroids locally under the guidance of an orthopedician. If de Quervain's disease does not respond to conservative medical treatment, surgical release procedure may be recommended. I hope this answers your query. In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out. Wishing you good health. Regards. Dr. Praveen Tayal. For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal

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Brief Answer: Use the heat first. Detailed Answer: Hello. Thanks for writing again. The splint used immobilizes the wrist and the thumb to the interphalangeal joint. You can get one of appropriate size at your orthopedician or physiotherapist. The therapist may also make a splint to keep your wrist and thumb from moving if off-the-shelf versions don't fit you well. You can apply heat before doing the ultrasound treatment. There is no harm in using it for 15 minutes. Hope my answer is helpful. If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you good health. Regards

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