Diagnosis of Tenosynovitis

How is Tenosynovitis Diagnosed?

In the UK General Practitioners (GPs) are trained to deal with a hugely broad range of ailments and illnesses, but rarely have specific knowledge of musculoskeletal disorders. In an ideal world your GP will refer you to a specialist in these kinds of conditions, such as a rheumatologist or a neurologist so that a correct diagnosis and treatment plan can be put into place.

In order to get the correct diagnosis your doctor will most likely carry out a physical examination of the problem area to see if redness or swelling are present. It is likely that they will ask you to move the affected area to establish if it is painful.

Finklestein’s Test

This might involve use of the Finklestein Test where you bend your thumb into the palm of your hand and grasp the thumb with the fingers; making a fist with the thumb inside. Then you bend your wrist away from the thumb in a side to side motion. If this causes severe pain in the tendons that control the thumb, it is likely that you are suffering from De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis.

Joint Aspiration

A doctor might use a needle to take a small amount of fluid from the affected joint so that it can be tested for illnesses such as gout or for signs of an infection.

X-ray

While Tendons themselves cannot be seen on X-rays, the bones are clearly visible and so this test can help rule out other illnesses such as arthritis.

MRI and Ultrasound

In a similar way to an X-ray, an MRI scan or Ultrasound scan can help rule out other issues that might be causing the pain and inflammation.

Stethoscope

In some cases the affected tendon will make a cracking or creaking sound known as crepitation. This can sometimes be heard without the need for any amplification, but in early stages your doctor might use a stethoscope to listen to the joints and identify any unusual sounds.

Questions about your job and lifestyle

One of the most powerful tools any doctor has when diagnosing Tenosynovitis is the ability to ask questions of the sufferer to establish situations within their life that might have caused the condition to arise. While it can be brought on by an injury or infection, in a great deal of cases the cause of the problems is to do with repetitive motion activities such as working on an assembly line, typing, playing sport or musical instruments. Jobs that involve standing up for long periods of time or making repetitive movements without variety can be particularly dangerous for the development of Tenosynovitis.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Tenosynovitis claim – either by calling us free on 0800 028 2060, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choosing to discuss your situation. When you contact us you are under no obligation to continue with the case unless you wish to do so.

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