How many of us actually do not have a smartphone? This would be a very small number especially given how cheap and available they are. Even our children have toy smartphones that they can play with. On average, we use our Smartphone for almost 4 hours a day, and the increased loads through our thumbs is beginning to take its toll on our bones, joints and tendons. Basically we were never designed to put our thumbs through this level of stress. Opposable thumbs evolved to allow us to grasp and manipulate objects for hunting and tool making. Not so much for texting, Instagram updates and swiping right!
The pain that comes from the repetitive movements of texting has been dubbed “smartphone thumb” by doctors. It’s actually a form of tendinitis, when the tendon that bends and flexes the thumb becomes inflamed. More and more people are complaining about this type of pain in their thumb each year. The tendinitis occurs because the lubrication around those thumb tendons dry out and this causes the tendons to start rubbing against its covering (sheath). The more this occurs, the more the tendon swells which in turn worsens the irritation. This causes a vicious cycle of pain and swelling which can be quite debilitating.
The best way to manage this is firstly to take away the aggravating factor and try and minimise our phone use. Perhaps take frequent breaks and alternate the hand which we use our phone with. Try using a keyboard or lay the device flat on a table and use your fingers rather than your thumb.Stretches for the thumb tendons can help keep them mobile and if this does not help then the next step would be to seek appropriate Medical advice for a proper asssessment and diagnosis. Your GP may arrange for a referral to a Hand Surgeon for review to ensure the right treatment is initiated. It may be that a splint for the thumb could rest the tendons enough to allow the swelling to subside. You could consider a cortisone injection to lessen the inflammation. If these measures fail to control the tendinitis and pain then surgery to decompress and free the tendons may be necessary to prevent tendon rupture.
So the next time you’re on your Smarthphone or tablet, consider what it is doing to your thumb and the impact on your hand function in the long term.