What does a sharp radial wrist pain during Finkelstein's test indicate?

What does a sharp radial wrist pain during Finkelstein's test indicate?

• A. De Quervain's tenosynovitis
• B. Carpal tunnel syndrome
• C. Ulnar nerve entrapment
• D. Intersection syndrome

Answer: (A)

Finkelstein's test targets the tendons in the first dorsal thumb compartment. A sharp pain on the radial side of the wrist during the maneuver indicates irritation of those tendons, which is De Quervain's tenosynovitis caused by stenosing of the sheath around the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis as they pass near the radial styloid. The test reproduces pain by tensing and gliding these tendons when the thumb is tucked into the palm and the wrist is moved toward the ulna, highlighting inflammation of that specific tendon group. This helps distinguish it from other conditions: carpal tunnel syndrome typically presents with numbness or tingling in the median-nerve distribution; ulnar nerve entrapment affects the ulnar side of the hand; intersection syndrome causes pain more proximally along the forearm where multiple tendons cross, rather than a focal radial-wrist pain at the first dorsal compartment.

Finkelstein's test targets the tendons in the first dorsal thumb compartment. A sharp pain on the radial side of the wrist during the maneuver indicates irritation of those tendons, which is De Quervain's tenosynovitis caused by stenosing of the sheath around the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis as they pass near the radial styloid. The test reproduces pain by tensing and gliding these tendons when the thumb is tucked into the palm and the wrist is moved toward the ulna, highlighting inflammation of that specific tendon group. This helps distinguish it from other conditions: carpal tunnel syndrome typically presents with numbness or tingling in the median-nerve distribution; ulnar nerve entrapment affects the ulnar side of the hand; intersection syndrome causes pain more proximally along the forearm where multiple tendons cross, rather than a focal radial-wrist pain at the first dorsal compartment.