BACKGROUND: Developing De Quervain's tenosynovitis due to repetitive and routine activities causes re-admission to orthopedic clinics, increasing health care costs, and waste of patients' time. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed at comparing the efficacy of local injection of methyl prednisolone and lidocaine with and without splint, splinting alone (with no drug injection) in treating patients suffered from de Quervain's tenosynovitis. METHODS: This was a clinical trial carried out on 108 patients with de Quervain's tenosynovitis who attended the orthopedic clinic at Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in Shahrekord (Iran) in 2010. Patients were randomly divided into three groups as follows: (a) those injected with 1 ml of 1% lidocaine and 40 mg of prednisone plus splint, (b) those injected with 1 ml of 1% lidocaine and 40 mg of prednisone with no splint, and (c) those treated with splinting alone. All three groups were given a 3-week follow up. Data were collected by visual analogue scale questionnaire and further analyzed by statistical tests including ANOVAs, Chi square test, and independent t test. FINDINGS: The findings of this study revealed that the mean pain intensity was significantly lower in the group treated by injecting drugs and splinting compared to other two groups (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Local injection of methylprednisone and lidocaine with splint seems to have a higher efficacy in treating de Quervain's tenosynovitis compared to other two procedures.

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