How Using Smartphone is Brig Medical Illness in Youth

“Texting thumb” or “mommy thumb” occurs when you put a strain on your hand constantly, which lead to pain and sensitivity in the muscles at the base of the thumb and in the wrist. The medical body calls it De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis or texting tenosynovitis. If you have it, then it is difficult to perform your everyday tasks. You experience pain anytime you move your wrist to pick something up or make a fist.

Symptoms and Causes of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis

Texting tenosynovitis happens when two muscles in your hand are irritated. The job of your muscles is to join muscles to the bones so that you can make your joints move. They are rope-like structures that move back and forth, extending and contracting your muscles creating movement in your body. When you text, the tendons in your wrist and thumb get into sudden action to let you complete the task.

Normally, the muscles move back and forth effortlessly in focused compartments. However, if you overuse your wrist in a repetitive movement while frequent texting, the tissues around these muscles becomes inflamed. This makes the simplest tasks painful.

The tissues swell and thicken and limit the hand movement. Imagine the walls of the channel closing in on the muscle, making limited space for the muscle. Less space means more friction in the muscle and even more swelling. “This causes soreness and pain at the base of your thumb that goes up in the forearm, or even causes sensation like your thumb getting stuck when you try to move them.

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is the same as wrist bone tunnel syndrome, except this involves different muscles and affects the wrist. With this syndrome, long pressure causes damage in the median nerve that offers feeling and muscle movement to the thumb and three middle fingers.

Texting tenosynovitis is common in people between 30 and 50 years of age and affects women more than men. You’re more likely to experience De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis if you have a hobby that requires monotonous wrist and hand movements, including racquet sports, gardening or video gaming.

How to prevent texting tenosynovitis from limiting the severity?

If you’re want to prevent texting tenosynovitis, take regular breaks from lengthy smartphone sessions and using hands-free choices when possible. It’s is a good idea to save the long email for when you’re able to type at your desk. A monotonous injury like a texting thumb typically is treated conservatively. So, easing thumb pain by:

• Limiting texting for a while
• Using audio commands
• Giving your thumb a rest
• Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Thumb brace

If the condition stays the same despite trying all the above, surgery to release the pressure in the compartment is recommended.