Texting Thumb- Give it a Thumbs Down!!!

All of us might have felt some odd pain at the base of the thumb whenever we have used our mobiles for long. This is referred to as Texting Thumb, this may not be a medical thing but yes this is happening for real because of the excessive time spent on our smartphones.

Texting ,swiping may not look like much of physical activity but these movements are done by muscles which are very small muscles. Whenever we are using our smartphones we repeatedly swipe right and left, write texts and zoom in and out using our thumbs. This leads to excessive strain on muscles & tendons of the thumb , and leads to the inflammation of the tendons. These muscles rub against a narrow tunnel producing a lot of friction and leading to more inflammation & pain. Medically we call this condition as De Quervain's Tenosynovitis and in long term this can affect the thumb joint and lead to arthritic changes.

Also the mere act of holding a smartphone ( approx. 200 gms ) involves the muscles of thumb and little finger leading to pain in the palm and thumb area.

When to be concerned???

1. If you are unable to hold your mobiles for more than 10 minutes.

2. If it pains when you are trying to push or apply pressure with your thumb.

3. If it pains when you are holding a glass, pen , spoon or any other items.

4. You are having pain while doing your daily chores.

What to do ???

1. Put down your mobile every 20-30 minutes.

2. Move your thumb in all the directions.

3. Stretch the thumb 3-5 times after every 1 hour.

4. Start strengthening your thumb muscles & wrist muscles.

5. Use ice whenever you feel excessive pain.

6. Wear support for thumb or wrist if usage goes beyond 3-4 hrs.