“Mommy Thumb” - why your thumb hurts postpartum (& what to do about it)

A few months postpartum after both my first and second babies, I started noticing some nagging pain in the thumb side of my wrist during tasks like changing diapers, feeding, etc. I knew right away that I had developed De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis - also known as “Mommy thumb”.

What is “Mommy thumb”?

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is inflammation of the tendons of the extensor pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus muscles. These muscles straighten the thumb and bring the thumb away from the index finger. During tasks such as gripping, pinching, and holding, these tendons are strained.

New moms are often doing a lot of repetitive movements to care for their baby. It is also thought that hormonal changes may contribute to developing De Quervain’s. De Quervain’s is often referred to as “Mommy thumb” because it is so prevalent in new mothers.

Symptoms of De Quervain’s can include pain at the base of the thumb and along the wrist side (can be painful to touch), swelling, stiffness and difficulty with thumb and wrist movements, and pain with tasks that require gripping, lifting, twisting, or pinching with the hand and wrist.

What can you do to get rid of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?

There are a few things I recommend to patients with De Quervain’s:

1) Try using a thumb spica brace to reduce strain on your thumb. I personally used this brace.

2) Use ice or topical analgesics for pain and inflammation. Red light therapy can also help reduce inflammation. I personally love Fringe red lights.

3) Avoid activities that increase pain. This is of course difficult if you are taking care of a new baby! However, you can try adjusting the way you are holding the baby, change locations for diaper changes, and wear a brace during the day to reduce strain.

4) Physical or Occupational therapy. There are a lot of different treatment techniques and exercises we can do to resolve De Quervain’s!

In this video, I share a few of my favorite exercises for Mommy thumb! I also have a module on treating Mommy thumb in my postpartum rehab program, Core Confidence. Learn more about Core Confidence here.

Blog post written by Dr. Alexis Hutchison, PT, DPT, OCS, PCES