Thumb Health 101: The Effects of Texting Too Much

One hundred texts a day - most teens probably send around this number, or even more! It’s safe to say that you have probably been warned about the side effects of text messaging: isolation, lack of focus in class and less face-to-face communication. However, have you ever considered the debilitating effects or even injuries that texting could cause to your thumbs and wrists?

You’re probably thinking, “Pffffft. How could pressing a few buttons ever cause an injury? Get outta here.” It seems far-fetched, but in an online article from GlobalWinnipeg.com, Winnipeg physiotherapist Nicole Marier says, "The repetitiveness of texting causes inflammation of the tendons of the wrist, which presses the medium nerve which cause the symptoms of pain."

Consider this: a survey conducted by Virgin Mobile found that over 3.8 million people suffer from repetitive strain injury in their thumbs due to chronic texting. This condition is caused by frequent, small movements, such as those of thumbs over a cellphone keypad; the effects include, “painful swelling and inflammation of the fingers.” Although you may not have experienced any sort of text-affects, keep in mind that texting is a fairly new technology. We are unable to study the affects of someone in middle age who has spent their whole life texting, because it simply hasn’t been around that long!

“I text a lot,” admits (via text message) Niki Davis, a grade 12 student from McMath Secondary. “Most of the time I don’t notice any serious pain, but after a long conversation I do notice that my fingers get kind of sore.” If you can relate to Niki, don’t worry! There is no need to start nervously putting your cellphone down. There are several exercises that will help alleviate the stress in your hands if you are a teen that spends more than a few minutes texting at a time or have already experienced pain after texting.

A quick way to stretch your thumbs is to tap each finger with the thumb of the same hand. For your wrists, you can simply take a minute or two each day to roll them in slow circles. For the ultimate pampering after a thumb workout, convince your mom or best friend to give you a hand massage!

Text messaging has become a teen communication staple. Most of us couldn’t function without it, and the good news is that we don’t have to! Just remember, any repetitive action, especially one that occurs over a hundred times a day, is not without its consequences. If you’re a text-a-holic, take the time to treat your hands to some TLC. Your thumbs and wrists will thank you!