DeQuervain’s Disease is a condition that was originally discovered by a French physician in 1895. DeQuervain had a large number of patients who were experiencing severe pain on the radial or thumb side of the wrist. These patients were having a great deal of difficulty moving their wrists and the joint was not functioning as it had in the past. Searching for some common trait that might be causing the pain, DeQuervain discovered that they had all engaged in repetitive work-related activities.

Repetitive movements, as DeQuervain discovered, cause irritation and pressure on the first dorsal compartment, which is a closed space located on the thumb side of the wrist. Inside the first dorsal compartment are two tendons: the abductor pollicis longus, and the extensor pollicis brevis, which course over a bony prominence known as the radial styloid (see illustration). DeQuervain’s Disease results from the swelling of the tissues which are being strained by a constant single movement. The swelling and the resulting inflammation cause a massive build-up of pressure, and wrist pain results.