Comparing the Efficacy of Local Corticosteroid Injection and High-Intensity Laser Therapy in Patients with De Quervain Tenosynovitis

De Quervain's tenosynovitis is one of the common causes of wrist pain. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of high-power laser therapy and local corticosteroid injection in the treatment of De Quervain's tenosynovitis.

In this clinical trial, 30 patients diagnosed with De tenosynovitis were randomly assigned to two groups of 15, A and B. Group A underwent high-power laser therapy, five sessions for three consecutive weeks, and group B received corticosteroid injections of 1 ml triamcinolone and 1 ml lidocaine 2% in the wrist under ultrasound guidance. Tendon thickness, pain intensity, quality of life, and treatment satisfaction were measured and compared in both groups pre-treatment, month one, and month three post-treatment.

In groups A and B, respectively, the mean scores of the thickness of extensor abductor pollicis longus and abductor pollicis brevis muscles before the treatment were 7.57±0.63 and 7.25±0.58 (P=0.120). these value were calculated at 6.55±0.61 and 6.54±0.40 one month later (P=0.955). They were 5.71±0.75 and 5.99±0.45 (P=0.239) mm three months post-treatment. In addition, pain scores before the treatment were 8.60±1.18 and 8.47±1.46 (P=0.785). One month later, they were 2.73±1.66 and 4.27±1.16 (C=0.785), and three months post-treatment, they were 1.73±1.33 and 2.47±1.06 (P=0.007). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of quality of life and satisfaction with treatment (P<0.05 for all).

Both local corticosteroid injection and high-power laser treatment methods were safe in the treatment of De Quervain's tenosynovitis, leading to a reduction in pain and tendon thickness, as well as an increase in the patient's quality of life