'I couldn't change his nappy': New mothers' experiences of De Quervain's tendinosis and its impact on occupational performance.
Caroline Khama, Marina Ciccarelli, Julie Brayshaw and 2 others
PMID 40176482WHAT IT FOUND
Pain and reduced strength from De Quervain's tendinosis made lifting, feeding, changing nappies, chores, and self-care hard for 15 new mothers.
They asked for earlier education on safe handling and splint plans that fit caregiving.
Key findings
01All 15 new mothers reported difficulty picking up and lifting their baby because of DQST symptoms.
02Twelve of the 13 participants prescribed a splint reported that wearing it was impractical and impeded occupational performance.
03Eleven participants had no prior knowledge of DQST, and all participants reported a lack of information from health-care providers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Participants were recruited by convenience sampling through the researchers' networks and word of mouth, so the findings may not represent all new mothers. Some participants were known to members of the research team, although interviews were conducted by a researcher with no connection to them. Only 15 first-time mothers took part, so the findings say little about mothers with other births or backgrounds. Nine participants did not have active symptoms at data collection, which may have affected recall. Contextual factors such as duration of symptoms, comorbidity, marital status, and cultural or socio-economic background were not collected. The study described experiences and self-reported disability; it did not test whether education, splinting, or handling changes improve symptoms.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the mothers' requests for education or their difficulty with splints as proof that a particular intervention works. This study reported experiences and self-reported disability, not treatment outcomes.