Is Your Smartphone Hurting You?

Texting thumb, BlackBerry thumb, Gamer's thumb, Washerwoman's sprain, Radial styloid tenosynovitis,
​de Quervain disease, de Quervain's tenosynovitis,
Mother's wrist, Mommy's thumb.

Americans love technology! We love it so much that we have multiple names for the Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) that happens when we use our smartphones, tablets, or other devices too much.  The average person spends around 23 hours a week texting, giving our hands, arms and elbows a workout without realizing it. 

The muscles and tendons that allow and support the movement of the thumb are very strong but were not designed for the intense repetitive texting that has become a common day occurrence. The cramped position that is required to hold our smart phones causes muscle fatigue, strain and tension. This leads to aches and pain in our thumbs, hands, neck and shoulder muscles. 

What It Feels Like:

• Pain and numbness at the base of thumb
• Swelling in base of thumb
• Spasms, tenderness, burning sensation in hand
• Tingling and numbness in hand, including joints
• Difficulty gripping with hand
• Pain in elbow

What You Can Do To Relieve The Pain:

Change The Way You Text​
Avoid using your thumbs for texting. Instead hold your phone firmly in one hand and use your forefinger of the other hand to type. Use speech to text feature whenever possible to reduce texting with your thumbs. 

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Give Yourself a Massage
Gently massage around your thumb and into your palm. You can also use a Knobble wooden tool to get firmer pressure. Move up and massage your wrists and forearms. Make sure to do both sides! 

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Daily Hand Strengthening Exercises 

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Get a Professional Massage
If your pain is daily and debilitating, you may need to get deeper work to release trigger points in the hand and forearms. Your therapist will not only work on your hands and forearms, but also your neck and shoulder muscles. 

Use Heat and Ice
If you only been experiencing pain for about a week, cold is best as it will reduce swelling and inflammation. If you the pain is chronic or lasts longer than a week, using heat will help relax the muscles. 

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Immobilize The Thumb
Our thumb is the most commonly used fingers and every day we inadvertently use it over and over. Resting the thumb (by NOT texting) and immobilizing it can speed recovery time.  Many different types of hand and wrist braces are also designed to immobilize the thumb. 

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Daily Hand and Finger Exercises

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