Can you get arthritis from texting?

While it’s not easy to point out one distinct underlying cause of arthritis, researchers strongly believe that the rapidly increasing duration that we spend on our mobile phones and other similar gadgets could lead to a larger incidence of those medical conditions that we have been dealing with in the past. Even if there are no signs of arthritis initially, excessive texting and scrolling could add up over time and result in hand and wrist pain at the later part of life.

In addition to causing strain on our hands and fingers, hunching over the mobile phone or tablet can also cause back and neck pain because of poor posture. In order to prevent this, remember to sit erect with your feet placed on the floor, and keep your phone or gadget directly before you. This will keep you from craning the neck downward for seeing it.

“Texting Thumb”:

The main issue with texting on your mobile phone is that the repeated movements using your hands, as well as fingers, could damage and cause injury to your joints, surrounding muscles, as well as tendons due to overuse. This could result in a condition called “texting thumb,” which is a repetitive strain injury. Even though a diagnosis of texting thumb does not necessarily mean that you would get arthritis or carpal tunnel in the later part of life, you must remember that it’s just as uncomfortable, as well as painful as these conditions.

If you begin to experience ache and pain in your hand, wrist, or finger while using a mobile phone or any other device, all you need to do is to take a break. Rise up and do stretches and walk around to help decrease the symptoms of texting thumb.