Nonoperative treatments include modification of activities, splint immobilization, icing and anti-inflammatory medication, and corticosteroid injections. Long opponens splinting (or short arm thumb spica splinting; a splint that immobilizes the wrist and the thumb) is standard and well accepted. There is no consensus on the best protocol for use of the splint. Some authors advocate full time splinting for 4 - 6 weeks, with the rationale that tendonitis will resolve with strict rest. Other authors, perhaps aware of histological evidence that De quervain's is a chronic rather than acute inflammatory condition, feel that the splint serves merely to relieve symptoms and is best used as best suits each individual patient. To our knowledge, there are not data available regarding these disparate views.