AANP Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Resource to Ensure Exam Success!

A positive Finkelstein's test is indicative of De Quervain's tenosynovitis, a condition that affects the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. This test is performed by having the patient make a fist with their fingers wrapped around their thumb and then ulnarly deviating the wrist. If the patient experiences pain along the radial side of the wrist, particularly over the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis tendons, it suggests inflammation of these tendons and the surrounding sheath, characteristic of De Quervain's tenosynovitis.

Understanding the mechanism of this test is key to its interpretation; the provocative nature of the movement stresses the inflamed tendons, leading to pain that confirms the diagnosis. The specificity of the Finkelstein’s test enables practitioners to differentiate this condition from others, making it a crucial part of the musculoskeletal examination when a patient presents with wrist pain, especially if they report difficulty with activities that involve gripping or pinching.