- Smartphone thumb is caused by the repetitive motion of typing with thumbs
- It causes pain around the thumb and used to only be seen in factory workers
- The condition’s medical name is tendinits – an inflammation or irritation of a tendon, a thick cord that attaches bone to muscle
- Researchers think it’s caused by the thumb force required when texting, and this abnormal thumb bone movement could be causing pain and eventual arthritis
Cecile Borkhataria For Dailymail.com
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A condition that used to only be seen in factory workers is affecting smartphone users in increasing numbers, experts have warned.
It’s called ‘smartphone thumb,’ and it’s caused by the repetitive motion of typing on a smartphone keyboard.
The movements that ones thumbs have to make while texting require force, and researchers say that this abnormal thumb bone movement could be causing pain and eventual arthritis.
The formal name for smartphone thumb is tendinitis – an inflammation or irritation of a tendon, a thick cord that attaches bone to muscle. It’s most often caused by repetitive, minor impact on the area, or it can be caused by a sudden, more serious injury
The formal name for smartphone thumb is tendinitis – an inflammation or irritation of a tendon, a thick cord that attaches bone to muscle, according to WebMD.
It’s most often caused by repetitive, minor impact on the area, or it can be caused by a sudden, more serious injury.
It can be caused by gardening, house cleaning, painting and other physical activities involving repetitive arm and hand motions, including texting.
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Dr Kristin Zhao, a biomedical engineer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, told CBS Minnesota that smartphone thumb could be caused by the joint becoming loose and lax, which causes the bones to move differently than they would normally.
Dr Zhao and her team have been studying smartphone thumb for seven years, and she says the motions people’s thumbs make while holding a smartphone are awkward.
The research began in 2010 using an imaging technique to see the bones of a healthy person and determine what’s normal and compare it with what isn’t.
‘Our hypothesis is that abnormal motion of bones in the thumb could be causing pain onset and eventual osteoarthritis,’ Dr Zhao said.
WHAT IS SMARTPHONE THUMB?
‘Smartphone thumb’ is caused by the repetitive motion of typing on a smartphone keyboard.
The movements that ones thumbs have to make while texting require force, and researchers say that this abnormal thumb bone movement could be causing pain and eventual arthritis.
De Quervain’s tendinitis is tendinits that affect the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. It causes pain and inflammation of the tendons and can be prevented through daily wrist and finger exercises to keep joints flexible
The formal name for smartphone thumb is tendinitis – an inflammation or irritation of a tendon, a thick cord that attaches bone to muscle, according to WebMD.
It’s most often caused by repetitive, minor impact on the area, or it can be caused by a sudden, more serious injury.
It can be caused by gardening, house cleaning, painting and other physical activities involving repetitive arm and hand motions, including texting.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease where cartillage cushioning between the joints breaks down, and osteoarthritis of the thumb occurs more in women than in men.
Dr Zhao says that there’s a high level of incidence of osteoarthritis in the thumb, and that her team wants to make sure that it’s not being encourage by our daily activities.
Another question that the researchers have is what impact these thumb movements have on children and how it could affect them late in life.
‘We really don’t understand why adults get pain, and so children, if you start earlier, you may get pain younger,’ said Dr Zhao.
Despite the problem being widespread, there are measures people can take to prevent smartphone thumb.
Despite the problem being widespread, there are measures people can take to prevent smartphone thumb. For example, smartphone users can give their thumbs a break by switching to using another finger, such as the forefinger, for typing
For example, smartphone users can give their thumbs a break by switching to using another finger, such as the forefinger, for typing.
Users can also use voice control features to dictate messages and emails instead of typing.
People can also perform daily stretching exercises with their wrist and fingers to keep their joints flexible.
While researchers haven’t reached a conclusion about how exactly smartphone thumb causes tendinitis, Dr Zhao’s Mayo clinic study is still ongoing.
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