I finally bought a smart phone this year and started typing using those tiny keypads (I was never a texter, either). My thumbs didn’t work, so I used the index finger. That made my arm and shoulder ache because I had to hold my arm in the air. But, I wanted to avoid using thumbs because the thumb joint is one of the least stable joints in the body. Naturally, the thumb injury is the one of the most common injuries for massage therapists. While in massage school, I was told: Save the thumbs for a special occasion.
There must be many people, especially younger people, who suffer from overuse of their thumbs because of too much texting. That is one of the common Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI), De Quervain's Tenosynovitis (dih-kwer-VAINS ten-oh-sine-oh-VIE-tis), also called “texting thumb” among other names. RSI happen when the same actions occur repeatedly over a period of time, which creates strain on tendons, muscles and joints. In the case of texting thumb, two tendons running from the back of your thumb down the side of the wrist get swollen and irritated. It’s also caused by lifting of children, typing, bowling, golf, tennis, fly-fishing, playing the piano, sewing and knitting. If you have De Quervain's Tenosynovitis or not, you can test (Finkelstein's test).
To prevent “texting thumb” from happening, it is obvious, but you should:
- Take a break every few minutes
- Use other fingers or hand
- Stop texting when it starts hurting
- Call, instead of text
If you have pain, you should:
- Rest your wrist
- Ice (wrapped with a towel) for 20 minutes every hour
Once you can move your wrist without pain, you can do exercises to stretch and strengthen the tendons. Here are a couple of videos of exercises.
I hope your thumbs feel better! And, please DO NOT DRIVE and TEXT.
Disclaimer: This is information only. I recommend you see a healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment.