Question:medium
The patient is presenting with pain around the base of the thumb. The tendons involved are:
The patient is presenting with pain around the base of the thumb. The tendons involved are:
Show Hint
Which two tendons share the first dorsal wrist compartment over the radial styloid?
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- APB and EBL
- APL and EPB
- APB and EPB
- APL and EPL
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Identify the condition: radial-sided wrist pain at the thumb base with a positive Finkelstein test is De Quervain's tenosynovitis, an overuse inflammation of the first dorsal compartment.
Memorise the compartment: the first dorsal compartment carries exactly two tendons, abductor pollicis longus (APL) and extensor pollicis brevis (EPB). These are the inflamed structures, so the answer is APL and EPB.
Trap-busting: do not confuse APL with APB, the abductor pollicis brevis is a thenar muscle of the palm, not a wrist compartment tendon. Do not pick EPL either, the extensor pollicis longus sits in the third compartment and bounds the snuffbox. The clean pair is APL and EPB.
Ref: Physiopedia.
Memorise the compartment: the first dorsal compartment carries exactly two tendons, abductor pollicis longus (APL) and extensor pollicis brevis (EPB). These are the inflamed structures, so the answer is APL and EPB.
Trap-busting: do not confuse APL with APB, the abductor pollicis brevis is a thenar muscle of the palm, not a wrist compartment tendon. Do not pick EPL either, the extensor pollicis longus sits in the third compartment and bounds the snuffbox. The clean pair is APL and EPB.
Ref: Physiopedia.
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