Introduction: De Quervain's tenosynovitis is a pathology described as an inflammation of the extensor pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus tendons, which occur on the thumb on the back of the wrist in a narrow connecting canal. The pathology is more common in women, and it can be chronic or acute. Treatment aims to relieve symptoms and pain to improve the quality of life. The most common method of conservative treatment is the use of a thumb orthosis, which immobilizes the thumb and restricts movement, followed by the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids. Purpose: The purpose is to determine the effectiveness of treating De Quervain's tenosynovitis with a thumb orthosis and the effectiveness of orthotic care compared with other methods of conservative treatment. Methods: We used a descriptive method, a review of the existing literature on orthotic care for De Quervain's tenosynovitis. We searched the literature in English using PubMed and Google Schoolar databases with keywords: (Quervain * OR DeQuervain * OR De Quervain Disease OR tendinopathy OR tenosynovitis) OR (abductor AND pollicis) OR (extensor AND pollicis AND brevis) AND (orthosis OR orthoses) OR (thumb spica splint OR thumb spica cast) AND (hand orthos * OR wrist orthos *). We selected free articles no older than ten years that included the use of a thumb orthosis. Results: Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we examined 7 articles in more detail. In four studies, the authors described thumb orthoses only. Two studies examined corticosteroid therapy in addition to orthotics, and one study compared treatment between orthotics and therapeutic ultrasound. The common effects of thumb orthoses were immobilization of the thumb and restriction of motion, and relief of pressure in the thumb tendon area. Discussion and conclusion: We found that thumb orthoses are most commonly used and most effective in patients with De Quervain's tenosynovitis. Thumb orthoses can be used as sole treatment or in combination with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids. In the future, we recommend more extensive research in this area to better understand the disease and, in turn, orthotic care and other treatments.
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