We spend a good chunk of our day, probably longer than we'd like to admit, glued to our smartphones. We use them to communicate, socialize, work and even avoid awkward social encounters.
Between the texting, tapping and scrolling — all while holding our phone in a delicate balancing act on our pinky — our hands and fingers put in a lot of work.
These repetitive movements can put stress on our phalanges, causing discomfort or pain, especially if we don't take breaks from our phone to let our hands rest.
You might've heard of texting thumb or smartphone pinky, common complaints linked to smartphone usage, but perhaps you're wondering, are there any long-term effects? Could your texting habits or excessive phone use lead to chronic problems, such as arthritis in the hands?
Arthritis refers to a number of conditions that cause joint pain and inflammation. Our joints are where two or more bones meet, and they’re made up of cartilage, ligaments, tendons and fluid.
The joints in our hands include our knuckles — three in each finger and two in each thumb — and where our hand bones meet the wrist. We have about 28 joints in our hands total.
The knuckles in the fingers include the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint, where the hand bone connects to the first finger bone, and another interphalangeal (PIP) joint, which connects the finger bones, per the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.
In the thumbs, we also have what's called the carpometacarpal (CPC) joint, where the base of the thumb bone in the hand connects to the wrist, which allows our thumb to move in various directions, Dr. Natalie Azar, NBC News medical contributor and rheumatologist at NYU Langone Health, tells TODAY.com.
The CPC joints in the thumb are crucial for gripping and grasping objects, like a phone, and of course, texting. Does excessive phone use cause arthritis in this joint or others in the hand?
Can Too Much Texting Cause Arthritis?
“Repetitive movement actually doesn’t contribute to arthritis. It can exacerbate underlying arthritis, but it’s not a direct cause," says Azar.
There are two main forms of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease caused by wear and tear on the joints, which causes the breakdown of cartilage, says Azar. This often occurs due to aging, previous injuries, or repetitive overuse and stress — during an assembly line job, for example.
Inflammatory arthritis, which occurs when the immune system attacks joint tissue, is caused by autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or infections, says Azar.
In addition to pain and inflammation, arthritis can cause swelling, redness, warmth and limited range of motion of joints.
“Technically, wear and tear can increase the risk of osteoarthritis, but there’s no definitive data at this point that texting causes this,” says Azar. However, excessive texting may worsen existing arthritis affecting the hands and fingers.
"The CMC joint is super commonly involved in osteoarthritis, so if you’re constantly texting and moving that joint, that could exacerbate underlying pain," says Azar.
People who are hypermobile or have Ehler-Danlos syndrome, which causes joints to move beyond the normal range of motion, may experience pain or discomfort in the hands and fingers from excessive texting, says Azar.
Humans have been using their hands to perform daily tasks for centuries. Sewing clothes, writing and drawing also require repeated fine motor movements of the fingers and thumbs — and there’s no evidence these directly cause arthritis.
“People have also been typing for decades, and that doesn’t really contribute to arthritis, either,” says Azar.
However, smartphones — and our excessive use of them — are a relatively new phenomenon. “Who knows, maybe in 20 years, we might see the incidence of the CMC joint arthritis has increased commensurate with the use smartphones, and look into, could there be a correlation there?" says Azar.
As of now, there’s no scientific evidence that texting causes arthritis or long-term joint damage.
However, it can put stress on the tendons, ligaments and muscles in our hands and fingers, which may cause pain and other musculoskeletal issues.
What is "Texting Thumb?"
Texting thumb is an issue affecting the tendons, which connect muscles to bone.
Excessive texting can cause the tendons in the thumb to become inflamed and irritated, also known as tendonitis. "The constant flexion and extension of the thumb can trigger tendonitis," says Azar. This can lead to pain, throbbing, swelling or limited range of motion in the thumb area.
"It can also lead to a kind of tendonitis called tenosynovitis, which is when you not only have the tendons inflamed, but also the tendon sheath is inflamed," says Azar. This can cause pain at the base of the thumb and the thumb side of the wrist, which may radiate up the forearm.
This type of tendonitis, called De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, isn't new. It can result from any repetitive activity using the thumbs, says Azar, from texting to repeatedly picking up a baby, which is why has also been called "mommy's thumb."
"Tendonitis or tenosynovitis of that area can be the reason that people have pain, and not have anything to do with arthritis," says Azar.
Similarly, "smartphone pinky," refers to a visible dent in the little finger where the bottom of our phone rests — it's not an official medical diagnosis, and is usually temporary.
However, Azar warns of one more musculoskeletal issue related excessive smartphone use, which doesn't involve the hands. "Text or tech neck is a total thing," she says.
Text neck is describes neck pain and stiffness many people experience from looking down at their phones constantly.
"Our head weighs around 10 pounds, and with every 10 degrees that you flex forward, it adds like an extra 10 pounds of weight," says Azar. Excessive forward head posture can strain on the neck, causing pain and exacerbating underlying arthritis, she adds.
How to Relieve Pain from Texting
If you're experiencing pain in your fingers or hands from excessive texting, don't panic.
The pain will usually go away once you stop the activity causing the tendon to become inflamed. “The answer for tendonitis is rest," says Azar. However, it could take days to weeks for the pain to resolve completely.
Here are some ways to manage hand pain from smartphone use:
- Take frequent breaks from your phone or limit screen time.
- Give your thumb a rest and use other fingers or another hand to type.
- Use voice-to-text or record voice notes instead of typing.
- Alternate how you hold your phone or try a phone grip on the back.
- Try ice or over-the-counter pain relievers.
- Wear a thumb splint to immobilize the thumb and reduce the range of motion.
- Do gentle thumb stretches.
If the pain is persistent, worsening, accompanied by swelling, or interfering with your daily life, talk to a doctor. "They may refer you to a hand specialist, and occasionally, cortisone injections may be appropriate or physical therapy," says Azar.
If you have arthritis, it's always a good idea to talk to your doctor about how to protect your joints while still engaging in everyday activities like texting. "I don’t preemptively tell people with hand arthritis not to use their smartphones, but if using the device is making it worse, then obviously stop," says Azar.
The bottom line? It probably won't hurt to put your phone down once in a while and give your hands a break.
