From Fox 13 the most powerful name in local news. This is the Fox 13 five o’clock news.
It’s something we just can’t live without. Most of us couldn’t make it through the day without our cellphones. Yeah. You know where the convenience comes. A bit of a hazard though, Dr. Joe shows us how our cell phones are causing trouble for some of our thumbs.
As Tampa Bay took the political stage, it’s clear the spoken word was replaced by quick bursts of texts. Twitter tells us this week alone at tracked 4 million tweets about the RNC. Add that to Facebook pictures and posts and text messages all transmitted from a cell phone. If you watch people, it’s very intensive what they’re doing with their thumbs.
Dr. Jeffrey Stone is with the Florida Orthopaedic Institute. He says it’s no wonder a condition called texting thumb is on the rise.
So they’re basically running marathons with their thumbs every day they’re doing these activities. Texting thumb belongs to a family of disorders caused by repetitive trauma, basically doing the same thing over and over again. Including texting, video games, repetitive gripping and grasping, and more mechanical heavy labor as well as type.
Simply tapping your screen causes more stress on your thumb than you might think.
One pound at the tip of the thumb is going to be four pounds here, seven pounds here, 14 pounds here, so it gets multiplied. All the muscles, the bones, the ligaments and tendons that are supporting that joint are taking that increased stress
And that stress can cause fatigue, pain, and swelling. Treatments include anti-inflammatory splinting and icing, and of course putting down the phone. But as separation anxiety is too strong and you can’t resist sending that message, there’s another option.
We will actually put people on cast if they need to have forced rest. A forced break from the technology we use day in and day out. Dr. Joe, Fox 13 news.
Dr. Joe also says, even if your symptoms are mild, that can get worse with time setting up you for chronic problems down the road.
