[Health Tip] Wrist Pain That Worsens in Summer, from the Rainy Season to Vacation Time

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of people complaining of wrist pain tends to increase during the summer. This is because the atmospheric pressure drops due to the rainy season, and outdoor activities such as vacations increase.

According to statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on the 23rd, 127,090 people visited hospitals for wrist tenosynovitis last year, and over 100,000 patients with wrist tenosynovitis have occurred annually over the past five years. Musculoskeletal disorders such as tenosynovitis especially see an increase in patients during the summer. The number of patients decreases in winter but surges around June to July. This pattern is analyzed to be due to the overlap with the rainy season causing lower atmospheric pressure and increased outdoor activities such as vacations.

Wrist tenosynovitis is also called wrist stenosing tenosynovitis or De Quervain's syndrome. It occurs when the sheath (tenosynovium) surrounding the two tendons connecting the thumb and wrist rub against each other due to excessive use of the thumb and wrist, causing swelling and inflammation. Symptoms include pain when moving the thumb or pressing the wrist. Swelling (tumefaction) may appear in the tenosynovium area, and in rare cases, friction sounds may occur.

The Finkelstein test is commonly used to diagnose wrist tenosynovitis. It involves making a fist by wrapping the thumb with the other fingers and then bending the wrist downward. This posture tenses the wrist tendons, and if severe pain occurs in the wrist at this time, wrist tenosynovitis should be suspected.

Wrist tenosynovitis is especially common among housewives who use their hands a lot and office workers who frequently use computers. It also often occurs in hobbies that use the thumb extensively, such as golf and knitting. Women who have given birth are known to have a three times higher incidence rate than men. Among female patients, those in their 50s, who accumulate wrist fatigue from housework, had the highest proportion, followed by women in their 30s, the typical age range for mothers.

The best way to prevent wrist tenosynovitis is to rest the painful hand without using it. When it is unavoidable to use the hand, thumb stretching must be done before use. However, it is not good to stretch with high intensity to the point of pain or for a long time; gentle and light exercise is recommended.

Treatment methods for wrist tenosynovitis are divided into non-surgical and surgical therapies. When surgery is necessary, the tenosynovium may be excised. However, usually non-surgical methods such as warm compresses, rest, paraffin therapy, and steroid injections are used. Recently, polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) injections have been widely used instead of steroid injections due to side effects such as tendon weakening or reduced infection resistance.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.