Simple exercises may soothe stubborn thumb pain without surgery
NCT ID NCT07595419
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether a structured eccentric training program—exercises that lengthen the muscle under load—could reduce pain and improve hand function in 25 adults with de Quervain's tendinopathy who had not gotten better with other treatments. Participants did the exercises at home for 8 to 12 weeks. The study measured changes in pain, disability, and wrist function to see if this approach offers a non-surgical option for persistent thumb pain.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- eccentric training program
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free exercise option to ease pain and improve hand function for people with de Quervain's tendinopathy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study with only 25 participants and no control group, so results may not apply broadly. The exercises require daily commitment and may not help everyone.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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25 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2020
- Finished
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Feb 2023
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patients aged 18 years or older. * Medical diagnosis of de Quervain's tendinopathy. * Increased pain in the area of the radial styloid process. * Positive stepped Finkelstein test. * No pain radiating to the arm during the stepped Finkelstein test. * History of at least one unsuccessful conservative treatment. * No other treatment received during the eccentric training intervention. Exclusion Criteria: * Expected surgical intervention or concurrent alternative therapies.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Semmelweis University
Budapest, 1088, Hungary
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.