Purpose: To assess for the presence of DeQuevain's disease.
Test Position: Sitting or standing.
Performing the Test:The patient actively (or active assistive) flexes thumb maximally and wraps fingers over thumb, making a fist. The patient then ulnarly deviates his/her wrist to stretch the muscles of the 1st extensor compartment. The test is positive if the patient complains of pain over the 1st extensor compartment of the wrist.
Diagnostic Accuracy: Unknown.
Importance of Test: The muscles that cross the wrist are separated into compartments by the extensor retinaculum. In the first compartment, the tendons of the extensor pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus pass through to attach distally. According to Neumann, the extensor pollicis brevis attaches distally to the dorsal side of the proximal phalanx and extensor mechanism of the thumb, while the abductor pollicis longus attaches distally to the radial-dorsal side of the 1st metacarpal. The combination of maximum finger flexion and wrist ulnar deviation elongates these tendons and produces pain in symptomatic individuals.
Note: these tests should only be performed by properly trained health care practitioners.
Reference: Neumann, Donald. Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System: Foundations for Rehabilitation. 2nd edition. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier, 2010. 303. Print.