How to Wrap a Hand Suffering From Thumb Tendonitis

Overuse of the hands or repetitive stress on thumb tendons can lead to thumb tendonitis. A tendonitis that occurs at the base of the thumb is called De Quervain's tendonitis and can include pain, inflammation and numbness over the thumb side of the wrist, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Wrapping the hand and thumb can prevent further aggravation of thumb tendonitis and prevent a possible rupturing of the tendon.

Taping Your Hand For Thumb Tendonitis

Buy a roll of 1.5-inch non-stretch white tape. Apply tape to the inside of your wrist. Moving the tape up and around the outside of your wrist, wrap it around the back of your hand and through the webbing of the thumb.

Run the tape across your palm and across the back of your wrist. Cut the tape with scissors and seal it against the tape you started with at the front of your wrist.

Start with another piece of tape and secure it to the back of your hand. Run that piece of tape in the opposite direction around the base of your thumb and across your palm. Continue to wrap the tape around your thumb and across your palm, gradually taking the tape a little higher up on the thumb each time around. Use several strips of tape if needed.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 by running another piece of tape across the front of your wrist, around the back of your hand, through the webbing up your thumb, across your palm and back to the front of your wrist. Cut the tape then seal it on the front of your wrist.

Test the tape to make sure that your thumb is immobilized enough so that it does not move into a painful position. Add more tape higher up the thumb by repeating steps 3 and 4, if necessary.

Tips

The higher you run the tape up on your thumb, the more support the tape will provide. You do not want to wrap your hand and allow the thumb any kind of movement that could worsen your tendonitis. Also, tape is a more rigid material for immobilizing a thumb with tendonitis than a more elastic bandage.

Warnings

The hand-taping technique is the same for sprains, tendonitis or other thumb injuries. The key is to limit thumb movement as much as possible. But despite having your thumb immobilized, do not overuse your hand. Allow it to rest as much as possible. You may need to take it off several times per day to perform other anti-inflammatory treatments, such as icing and heating it.