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How to get more De Quervain tendinitis patients: a plan for hand, orthopedic and sports medicine practices

A hand on a ringing desk phone at an orthopedic and sports medicine practice front desk

Adults call about new pain on the thumb side of the wrist, pain when they grip, pinch or turn the wrist, a consult request or a follow-up visit. This guide covers De Quervain tendinitis in hand, orthopedic, sports medicine and physical medicine practices; hand surgery, trigger finger and carpal tunnel surgery have their own guides. The hand, orthopedic or sports medicine clinician or the treating clinician (the clinician below) evaluates the patient and decides the plan, including whether and which procedure is needed.

In short

  • Speak to adults with thumb side wrist pain in plain words, without blame.
  • Keep landing pages simple: symptoms, evaluation, clinician, price, one way to book.
  • Book the visit with a short script that never names a treatment.
  • Relay the MedlinePlus follow-up list whole, then tell the clinical team.
  • Follow up with consent, without pressure, and track each request.
  1. SearchAn adult looks for care near them.
  2. Your pageWhat you treat, who sees them, one way to book.
  3. Call or formThey call or send a request.
  4. Front deskBooks the visit and never guesses a cause.
  5. Clinical teamThe clinician decides the plan.
How a new patient request reaches your practice.

1. Who the patients are and what they search for

Callers are adults 18 or over, of any sex, with pain on the thumb side of the wrist. Many grip, pinch, lift or twist a lot at work, in sports or at home. They search for thumb side wrist pain, pain at the base of the thumb, wrist pain when gripping, De Quervain, or a hand doctor near them. Use the same words on your pages.

The MedlinePlus De Quervain tendinitis page says “Two tendons run from the back of your thumb down the side of your wrist. De Quervain tendinitis results from these tendons being thickened and irritated.” and “De Quervain tendinitis can be caused by playing sports such as tennis, golf, or rowing.” People may notice “Pain on the back of your thumb when you make a fist, grab something, or turn your wrist”, “Swelling of the wrist” and “Difficulty pinching things with your thumb”.

The MedlinePlus wrist injuries and disorders page names “Doing repetitive wrist motions, such as typing on a keyboard, working on an assembly line, or using power tools.” It also says “The symptoms of a wrist problem can vary, depending on the problem.” Staff never guess the cause. Aim ads at adults only, never target by sex or family status, and never build audiences from health information.

2. Landing page basics

  • Name the symptoms people notice, in their words. Say that care starts with an evaluation by the clinician.
  • Give the clinician’s name and real credentials.
  • Give a starting price and what it includes. Self-pay patients may be entitled to a good faith estimate.
  • Show one way to book.

Never blame a patient’s job, sport, hobby or age, never say who needs a procedure, never name a treatment, and never promise any outcome. Avoid “fix your wrist pain”, “no more thumb pain”, “back to a full grip”, “risk-free” and “insurance will cover it”. Better: “the clinician will examine your wrist and thumb, ask about your symptoms and talk through the options with you”.

3. The phone script

Staff collect answers and book. They never judge urgency, never say what condition a caller has and never name a treatment.

  1. “Thanks for calling. May I take your name, your age and the reason for your visit?”
  2. “Which hand is it, when did the pain start, and did a doctor refer you? Please bring a list of your medicines and any notes from earlier care.”
  3. “The evaluation starts at [price]. Further care may be extra. We will check your plan, but cannot promise coverage.”
  4. Which treatment, and will it work? “We cannot tell that on the phone. The clinician will examine your wrist and thumb, ask about your symptoms and decide with you what the options are.”
  5. “I can book your evaluation now. May we text or email you about it?”

Book adults only; pass any caller under 18 to the clinical team. Staff never advise on medicines, activity, work, sport or what to do at home; they pass those questions on. A caller with a question after earlier care is booked or passed to the clinical team, never advised. See the new patient phone script.

4. Routing and safety lines

Relay only what the source says, then tell the clinical team right away. Under When to Call the Doctor, the MedlinePlus De Quervain tendinitis page starts “Follow up with your provider if:” and lists:

  • “The pain is not improving or becomes worse”
  • “Your wrist becomes more stiff”
  • “You have increasing numbness or tingling in the wrist and fingers, or if they turn white or blue”

If a caller reports one of these, tell them what MedlinePlus says for it, then tell the clinical team right away. Staff read these lines as the source writes them and add no words of their own about how urgent a call is. The saved sources give no other urgent line, so staff add none. Any other report that worries a caller, such as a new injury or a problem after earlier care, goes to the clinical team right away.

Make follow-up visits easy to book; the clinician decides what each visit covers and how often to see the patient.

Text or email only with the patient’s own contact details and consent; see texting patients and the TCPA. Follow up without pressure (see consultation to treatment), never pay or take payment for referrals (see patient referrals for medical practices), and track each request from first contact to evaluation.

Where MediLeadGen fits

MediLeadGen sends practices requests from people interested in cash-pay elective treatments. Each request goes to one practice only, with the person’s consent naming that practice, at a fixed price per delivered request.

See how it works for practices

Questions practices ask

How do we get more De Quervain tendinitis patients?

Answer quickly, give clear prices and real credentials, keep claims inside the sources, and book an evaluation where the clinician decides the plan.

Can we tell callers which treatment they need or that it will work?

No. The hand, orthopedic or sports medicine clinician or the treating clinician examines the patient and decides the plan after the evaluation, including whether and which procedure is needed.

What should the front desk do when a call sounds urgent?

Relay the MedlinePlus list from section 4 if it matches, then tell the clinical team right away. Staff never judge urgency and never say what condition a caller has.

Does insurance cover De Quervain tendinitis care?

Coverage varies by plan. Check each patient’s plan, and do not promise coverage in ads or on the phone.

General information for practice teams, not legal or clinical advice. Check device labeling, FDA requirements, state rules and your advertising with counsel and your clinicians. Last reviewed October 2026.

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