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Wrist tendinopathy is a broad term used to characterize disorders involving damage or irritation to tendons and/or their synovial sheaths located in and around the wrist joint. Such disorders comprise the most common complaints evaluated by hand care professionals (McCauliffe, 2010). These disorders were formerly characterized as wrist tendinitis; however, recent research has demonstrated that these disorders demonstrate relatively few inflammatory cells (McCauliffe, 2010). Instead, these tendon disorders often appear to be the result of a disruption in the structural integrity of the tendon. This has led some to prefer use of the term tendinosis (implying a breakdown in the collagen structure of a tendon) or the broader and more clinically used term tendinopathy (a term implying a general disease process of the tendon).

Wrist tendinopathy usually affects a single tendon, but in some cases, it involves two or more tendons. Symptoms may start with a mild pain that progressively worsens with continued activity. The pain often presents as diffuse, as opposed to a localized, and may extend up to the forearm or into the fingers. Pain may be variously described as a dull ache, a burning sensation, or a sharp stabbing pain. Symptoms may be so painful that they may result in significant adverse effects on the activities of daily living. Even common tasks such as turning doorknobs or lifting a coffee cup may prove painful. Symptoms more rarely observed include numbness, loss of motion, or pain at rest. Often, wrist tendinopathy occurs at points where the tendons cross each other or pass over a bony prominence. These are possible sites of irritation and can lead to discomfort when moving the wrist joint. De Quervain’s disease is often characterized by the development of pain on palpation, stiffness, and a decrease in strength capacity in the affected areas. Other similar conditions are trigger thumb and triggering of the middle and ring fingers, characterized by pain with motion of the affected tendon.