De Quervain disease in volleyball players.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammatory tendon diseases in athletes are frequent, and they often result from modifications in normal kinematics of a tendon associated with a patient's anatomical determinants. De Quervain stenosing tenosynovitis is an inflammatory disease of tendons of the first dorsal compartment of the wrist. There is no literature about this disease concerning professional volleyball players.

HYPOTHESIS: Limited, multiple trauma on the dorsal radial portion of the wrist, associated with long training times, can be involved in the pathogenetic process of de Quervain disease in professional volleyball players.

STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors studied 45 consecutively enrolled volleyball players (27 professional, 18 nonprofessional) satisfying clinical criteria for the diagnosis of de Quervain stenosing tenosynovitis. All patients were evaluated by questionnaire and physical examination. They were divided into group A (mild) and group B (severe) based on the severity of the symptoms and physical findings; they were followed for a mean of 37 months.

RESULTS: Total training quantity (mean weekly training time multiplied by mean sports activity duration) in group A was 74, whereas it was 155 in group B (P < .01). No neuropathies were found in group A, whereas they were found in 3 patients in group B. Fifty percent of surgical patients had a longitudinal fibrous septum, whereas 54% showed multiple tendon sheaths making up the abductor pollicis longus tendon.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that increased training time and consequent microtrauma associated with professional volleyball activity can increase the likelihood of de Quervain disease.