De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis Among General Surgeons in Lahore and Gujranwala, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study of Symptoms, Pain, and Finkelstein Test Findings

Abstract

Background: De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is characterized by radial-sided wrist pain that may interfere with activities requiring repetitive thumb movement, gripping, and sustained wrist positioning. General surgeons routinely perform such manual tasks, yet descriptive evidence regarding DQT-related manifestations in this occupational group in Pakistan is limited. Objective: To determine the frequency of De Quervain’s tenosynovitis-related symptoms, pain characteristics, and positive Finkelstein test findings among general surgeons in Lahore and Gujranwala, Pakistan. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 302 general surgeons from public- and private-sector hospitals recruited through non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected using an investigator-developed questionnaire, Visual Analogue Scale, and Finkelstein test of the dominant hand. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Results: A positive Finkelstein test was observed in 222 participants (73.5%), while 272 (90.1%) reported pain on the thumb side of the dominant wrist. Pain aggravation during surgery and pain while making a fist with the thumb inside were each reported by 280 participants (92.7%). Thumb stiffness occurred in 206 (68.2%), swelling in 184 (60.9%), and numbness in 177 (58.6%). Tolerable pain was the most frequent VAS category (145, 48.0%), while 47 participants (15.6%) reported excruciating or unbearable pain. Conclusion: DQT-related symptoms and positive Finkelstein findings were frequent among the surveyed surgeons. These findings indicate a substantial burden of wrist and thumb symptoms within this sample but do not establish occupational causation or population prevalence