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Mommy Thumb
Mommy thumb also known as De Quervains Tendinitis affects between "one quarter and one half of new mothers". It's caused by constant lifting and even more so when lifting children under the armpits or what's known as the "L-shape" hand form. As many cribs have been modified to be lowered for safety purposes, many mothers are forced to now apply more pressure and weight onto their hands when lifting their children. Symptoms often include pain on the thumb side of the wrist, sporadic aches throughout the hand and in many cases pain that can reach all the way up to the forearm. Some mothers experience these pains during pregnancy which could be a result of swelling which then adds pressure to the already stressed tendons, making the pain quite noticeable. Doctors also think that with smart phones and the age of texting, this pain is not just contributed by "heavy" children and frequent lifting. "Mommy thumb" affects two tendons in the hand, the abductor pollicis longus and the extensor pollicis extensor. These tendons are used to move the thumb seperate from the rest of the hand, such as moving the thumb up to the ceiling when hands are flat on the table. This condition is preventable as well as treatable.
Prevention
New moms are advised to do the following in order to ensure overall hand comfort and a pain free feeding:
- Controlled Hand Exercises to Create Active Tolerance - Your hands have muscles too! Runners stretch their legs before running, Mommies should stretch their hands before grabbing!
- Use Different Grabbing Techniques - Using different ways to pick up your child will help equal out the pressure and stress on certain joints and muscles all over your body. (For example: Try scooping your child up by placing the palms of your hands under the back of baby and resting baby's torso and legs on your forearms.
- Give Your Arm a Break! - Try using a pillow under baby's head while feeding to alleviate some of the pressure on your forearm and your hands.
Treatments vary according to severity and is why Mommies should speak to their doctors about any medications and treatments.
- Ice and OTC Anti-inflammatory Drugs- may reduce some of the swelling but often times does not make the pain go completely away.
- Fitted Splints- can help Moms to keep their thumbs from making any painful movements and can also help reduce pressure on the tendons. Often Moms have to use this as well as steroid injections to get rid of the condition.
- Steroid Injections- If two shots don't help talk to your doctor about surgery, "too many injections can weaken the tendons to the point of rupture". We definitely don't want that for our new Mommies!
- Hand Surgery- Is the last resort treatment and usually helps 4 out of every 5 people who get it. Some experience hand problems even after surgery so make sure its right for you and your condition.
Check out this simple video on Mommy Thumb on Youtube.com
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