These days, we’re on our smartphones a lot. Whether working from home, reading the daily news, or keeping in touch with friends and family, our mobile phones can help us communicate and feel connected. According to a recent survey, COVID-19’s impact on daily life has also affected our phone use, and text messaging is more popular than ever. but this texting, gaming, scrolling, swiping cause many physical problems in people. One of the most common condition is known as TEXTING THUMB SYNDROME.
Texting thumb is also known as ‘Gamer’s thumb’ or by “DeQuervain’s syndrome.”Texting Thumb Syndrome is a painful, inflammatory condition that affects tendons where they run through a tunnel on the thumb side of the wrist.
If you have Texting Thumb Syndrome, it will probably hurt when you turn your wrist, grasp anything or make a fist. Although the exact cause of Texting Thumb Syndrome isn't known, any activity that relies on repetitive hand or wrist movement makes it worse.
Symptoms
Pain near the base of your thumb
Swelling near the base of your thumb
Difficulty moving your thumb and wrist when you're doing something that involves grasping or pinching
If the condition goes too long without treatment, the pain may spread further into your thumb, back into your forearm, or both. Pinching, grasping and other movements of your thumb and wrist aggravate the pain.
Causes
This form of thumb tendonitis is due to a Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) in the thumb and wrist. In the activity of texting, the problem is not necessarily the tip of the thumb pressing the keys, but the frequent traveling of the inflamed tendon through a tightened tunnel. This can cause pain when the wrist is flexed or when forming a fist or when grabbing an object.
Repeating a particular motion day after day may irritate the sheath around the two tendons, causing thickening and swelling that restricts their movement.
Other causes for De Quervain syndrome
▪️ Direct injury to your wrist or tendon.
▪️ In direct injury scar tissue can be formed and it can restrict movement of the tendons.
▪️ Inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
RA can damage the cartilage, which usually cushions the joint and allows it to move smoothly. When the condition breaks down the cartilage, the bones of the joint can rub together, resulting in permanent damage. This can cause Texting Thumb Syndrome and as well further problems.
Risk factors
Age
If you're between the ages of 30 and 50, you have a higher risk of developing Texting Thumb Syndrome than do other age groups, including children.
Even though 30 -50 ages are at higher risk, with the technological development in the 21st century, adolescents are more frequently diagnosed due to excessive phone usage.
Sex
The condition is more common in women.
Jobs or hobbies that involve repetitive hand and wrist motions.
Being pregnant
Pregnancy is associated with de Quervain's syndrome.
Babycare
Lifting your child repeatedly involves using your thumbs as leverage and may also be associated with the de Quervain syndrome.
Complications
Untreated Texting Thumb Syndrome might make it hard to use your hand and wrist properly and limit your wrist's range of motion.
Preventive measures for mobile phone users
The Researches has concluded that almost half of the students in research use their mobile phones for texting more than 50 SMS per day and because of their mobile keypads and high speed of texting they experienced pain and weakness over the base of the thumb/wrist which shows the Texting Thumb Syndrome positive in that students and there is a positive association between the thumb pain and frequent text messaging. So,
The number one preventive measure is limiting your phone usage and take frequent breaks in between.
Ice 5-10 minutes and rest after a lot of texting, emailing, or gaming.
Use voice-activated texting and emailing to rest the thumbs.
Alternate by using index fingers to carry out the tasks.
Practicing to text with both hands.
Slowing the speed at which you text with your thumb.
Giving proper support to their forearms and back while texting.
Non-surgical Treatments
Physiotherapy
Untreated Texting Thumb Syndrome might make it hard to use your hand and wrist properly and limit your wrist's range of motion.This is where Physiotherapy is highly needed. Physiotherapist thoroughly assess you prescribe treatments. Those treatments would be different from one person to another due to variation of your symptoms and causes. So consult your physiotherapist to know about the most effective treatment for yourself.
Medications
Surgical Treatments
Surgery is rare and is usually for those when non-surgical treatment has failed and the patient experiences persistent inflammation affecting his or her function.
References:-
Ali, M., Asim, M., Danish, S.H., Ahmad, F., Iqbal, A. and Hasan, S.D., 2014. Frequency of De Quervain’s tenosynovitis and its association with SMS texting. Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal, 4(1), p.74.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/de-quervains-tenosynovitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20371332
Thilini Oshadi
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