| By :
Nick Clipton
Copyright (c) 2010 Nick Clipton DeQuervain's tenosynovitis is the inflammation of the tendons of the wrists which can only be relieved with a direct injection of cortisone into the affected tendon. For those who have had this really unforgettable syndrome, the awareness of abusing the tendons of the wrists can be at the forefront of anyone who uses and abuses this particular part of the human anatomy. A writer can develop it, a typist, a pianist, and yes, even a guitar player can develop one. It first starts out with a sense of heaviness on the wrists and the fingers. For a while it could be ignored but it can be quite bothersome. It can make the wrists and the hand weak for no apparent reason. As time goes by, from almost ignorable weighty sensations, a sudden sharp ice cold pain could travel all the way to the elbows and it can take anyone by surprise. The initial reaction of the body is to drop everything that is being held with the hand. Bending over in pain is not a good way to go through the day and then as soon as it happens, it can leave the wrist numb and then unfortunately, you forget about it. Through the days this can only get worse until finally the day arrives that even eating is no longer possible. 'Can't just someone please feed me?' It is like going through life missing a hand and it is not a nice feeling. Eventually this pain can no longer be ignored and if it is, the fingers stiffen up and become frozen in a claw. Yep, imagine playing the guitar with a claw, or trying to press on the frets with a claw. Not funny. The doctor will tell you that the tendons are inflamed and are disrupting the flexibility of the fingers. When the tendons freeze, it can sort of pull the tendons that travel the length of the fingers; this will cause the claw like hand. The prognosis to this is bad if there is no treatment, and no, there are no alternative medications for this. The tendons have to receive a shot of cortisone. What the doctor does is to apply a topical antibiotic where the injection site is, and then with other hands immobilizing the wrist, directly injects the cortisone through the wrist into the tendon. Yes, it hurts. But does one really have a choice? The lesson here is that guitar learning takes practice but if the practice causes pain in the hand, give it a rest. That's the only way to prevent this horrid syndrome.
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