5 Ways to Fix Mommy Thumb | Thumb, Hand, & Wrist Pain | Babies and Bones

MOMMY THUMB aka De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis usually presents with pain at the wrist near the base of the thumb. It commonly occurs in new moms, but is also known as gamer's thumb, mother's wrist and texting thumb. It is exacerbated by gripping objects or trying to pick up your newborn with your hands under the arm pits as seen in the video.

WHY DOES IT OCCUR?
Two tendons that are responsible for moving the thumb (abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis) undergo increased friction and pain due to swelling and thickening of a band that crosses the tendons (the extensor retinaculum).

HOW IS IT TREATED?
1️⃣ Activity modification: avoid positions that exacerbate it. Obviously, we can’t avoid picking up a newborn, but we can pick the child up in a different manner like the “swoop”method shown in this video.
2️⃣ NSAIDs: anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil)/ Naproxen (aleve). NSAIDs are not safe for the baby during pregnancy, but are generally considered safe for mom and baby while breastfeeding.
3️⃣ KT tape: Some patients notice decreased pain and more support when using KT tape.
4️⃣ Splinting: over the counter thumb spica splints along with NSAIDs can help calm the Inflammation.
5️⃣ Injections: Cortisone Injections are quite successful at minimizing pain and Inflammation.
6️⃣ Surgery: if all else fails, and the pain is unbearable, surgery has excellent results, but is ideally the last resort. The good news is most cases are treated successfully without surgery.

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