Hearing the words “rotator cuff tear” after a shoulder MRI is alarming for most patients — but a tear doesn’t automatically mean you need surgery. Many partial and even some full-thickness rotator cuff tears can be managed successfully with physiotherapy, manual therapy, and regenerative injection therapy, particularly in patients who aren’t high-demand overhead athletes.
If you feel sharp pain at the base of your thumb and the side of your wrist — especially when gripping, texting, or lifting — you may have De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, an inflammation of the tendons that run along the thumb side of the wrist. It’s increasingly common among smartphone users, new parents, and anyone doing repetitive hand and wrist movements.
## What Is De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?
De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is irritation and swelling of the tendon sheath surrounding two tendons that control thumb movement, where they pass through a narrow tunnel on the thumb side of the wrist. Repetitive thumb and wrist movement causes friction and inflammation in this tunnel, leading to pain, swelling, and sometimes a “catching” sensation with thumb movement.
**KEY FACT**
Despite the names, most people who develop tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow in Kathmandu have never picked up a racquet or a golf club. The real cause is almost always repetitive strain from typing, gripping a phone, lifting groceries, gym training, or manual work. Both conditions respond very well to targeted physiotherapy and manual therapy without surgery.