Gamers thumb is a popular name given to the medical condition named as De Quervain Tenosynovitis where the thumb side of your wrist got affected due to overburden or say repetitive movements by your thumb.
Here many people repetitively play video games either for earning purpose or for having fun where they continuously need to press the game remote buttons with their thumb which puts extreme pressure on the tendons of the base side of your thumb. As a result, the tendons of your thumb got inflamed or the tendon sheath sometimes ripped apart which causes severe pain on the base side of your thumb and on your wrist area as well. That’s why this medical condition has become popular in the name of gamers’ thumbs.
Now the gamers are not the only ones who are facing the problem of de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. But the same thing is happening with sports players who are playing games like golf or badminton. Further people with a regular computer or laptop work have started facing the same problem due to continuing pressing the keyboard and mouse buttons. Even the mothers of newborns are dealing with this pain because of continuously holding and carrying their little ones. So the gamer’s thumb or de Quervain’s tenosynovitis is also known by a few other names which are mommy’s wrist, texting thumb, etc.
Whatever be the reason for your pain, you obviously will be looking for the solution for treating your pain. So, if that’s right then you have reached the right place because here you are going to find the gamers thumb treatment remedies which are given below:
- Take a Break: The first thing which anybody is going to suggest is to take a break from your continuous schedule. By taking a break literally means you are going to give rest to the tendons and muscles of your thumb and wrist.
Here when you over-pressurized the tendon sheath of your wrist area then tissues of that muscle or tendons got torn which creates inflammation in that part of your body. This inflammation further ceases the proper oxygen and blood supply to that inflamed body part which further creates swelling.
But if you stop using your thumb for a while then your body tissues are capable enough to self repair themselves within the period of twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Because resting your hand will further start the supply of required oxygen and blood to the affected tendons which are eventually going to be repaired now. So, take a short break for getting relief from the pain of gamers’ thumbs.
- Ask for Therapy: If you feel like your pain is not reducing even after having a good rest then you are surely required to consult with an expert for your gamer’s thumb treatment. Here you can visit a physiotherapist who will first diagnose your problem by practically applying a few tests on your thumb like Finkelstein’s Test.
Now, after the completion of the diagnosis process, your physiotherapist will get to know about the exact point where you are suffering from pain. So, accordingly, he/she will perform some light exercises on your thumb regularly for a few days by which you will start feeling relief from your gamer’s thumb pain.
- The Anti-Inflammatory Medicines: Sometimes the pain extends that much in your thumb which literally becomes intolerable for you. So at that time people only ask for a quick healing solution that could help them in getting rid of their gamer’s thumb pain. And if you feel like you are facing the same situation then you can directly go for a few best medicines for treating gamers’ thumb pain which is known as ibuprofen and naproxen also known as NSAIDs.
So, when you consume any of these medicines, this will immediately give you relief from your pain. But this will be a temporary relief that is only going to last as long as the effect of the drug remains. Thus, you will also be required to follow the above-given treatment for having long-lasting effects.
- Maybe the Injection: Some people don’t prefer eating the medicine tablets rather they prefer to inject the drug into their painful area. So, if you are one of those people then I have this one injection for your pain. Here you can go for a Corticosteroid injection or ask a medical expert for giving you that injection so that you could have quick relief from your pain. Further, you need to follow this treatment for a few more weeks with the same injection for getting long-lasting relief.
Conclusion:
The gamers’ thumb medical condition can be treated easily because it’s not that difficult to treat this but yes the pain is difficult which is really difficult to endure and sometimes this pain becomes chronic in the case if you initially ignore this. So, start your treatment early so that it could be treated early as well.
