Are you texting your way to injury?
Wednesday, February 5th, 2014 | Exercise, Hand Exercises, Texting | No Comments
When texting started becoming commonplace, it was slow and awkward. (How many times do I have to click on “7″ to get an “S”? Where’s my punctuation?) But with the advent of PDAs and smartphones, and the ability to not only text but post on social media and craft entire emails on a mobile device, people are communicating more than ever — non-verbally — with their phones. Unfortunately, with that advanced technology can come some digital pain, literally.
Constant typing and texting on your phone can cause pain and injury, says Matt Caster, a physical therapist at Allegheny Chesapeake Physical Therapy (a Physiquality member in Pennsylvania). “Texting thumb is an overuse injury, where the tendons that control the thumb become inflamed due to the repetitive use of the thumb when typing text on your phone,” he explains. You may feel pain simply in your thumb or fingers, or it could manifest throughout the palm of your hand or even up the length of your arm. Read More
