If you’re feeling achy, tender, or swollen on the thumb-side of your wrist — especially when gripping, lifting or twisting — it might be De Quervain’s Syndrome, a common tendon condition that can seriously impact everyday activities. In this blog, we break down what De Quervain’s actually is, why it happens, common symptoms, and practical ways to ease pain and get moving again with effective physio-led strategies.

Exercise is one of the first lines in management in a thumb joint with normal age related changes. It is key to ensure you continue to function well by maintaining strength, range of movement, fitness and joint health with increasing evidence showing that exercise can protect the joint from further changes.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and affects mainly the joint’s cartilage and surrounding bone tissue. Osteoarthritis in the thumb is the most common form of arthritis that affects the hands. Symptoms of thumb arthritis can become crippling, partly because the thumb is needed so often for daily tasks.