Tech neck, texting thumb: Our bad tech habits leave us in pain. Here’s how to feel better

Jun 20,2018 / By The Hand Society / No Comment

Americans now spend more than five hours a day hunched over, reading emails, sending texts or checking social media sites, according to analytics firm Flurry— and it’s turning into a real pain in the neck. No really, there’s actually a condition called “tech neck,” and there’s a good chance you — or someone in your family — have it.

ImagineMD, a direct primary care medical company based in Chicago, gathered Google search trend data to rank tech pains by the number of times people searched for them. “Tech neck” is one of the most frequently Googled tech-related conditions in the U.S. these days, right behind “texting thumb” and “cell phone elbow.”

And while the terms might sound funny, these tech-related conditions can be serious and painful. Here are the top three — and what to do about them.

Gamer’s thumb, aka texting thumb

Thumb pain is the No. 1 most-searched-for technology-related injury, with nearly 100,000 monthly searches, according to that ImagineMD report. It’s a repetitive stress injury, caused by too much gripping, tapping and swiping, either on a video game controller or a smartphone screen, says Robert Wysocki, an orthopedic surgeon at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

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Random Fact: Joint Replacement Surgery

Jun 6,2018 / By The Hand Society / 1 Comment

Did you know? With advanced technology, custom implants for a joint replacement now match your exact anatomy. Read about joint replacement surgery and learn more about why this procedure is so accurate.

The Surprising Side Effects from Using Technology

Apr 11,2018 / By The Hand Society / 1 Comment

from Harvard Health Letter

You’ve mastered the art of texting, emailing, and web surfing on your smartphone and computer. But along with that digital prowess, you’ve picked up an unexpected side effect.

“We get a number of patients who develop injuries from these activities,” says Dr. Tamara Rozental, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hand, wrist, and elbow disorders at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Hand pain

The repetitive motions of texting and typing can lead to general hand pain from underlying osteoarthritis (the wearing away of cartilage in the joints). “Using these gadgets doesn’t cause osteoarthritis, but if you’re prone to it, it can increase your symptoms,” Dr. Rozental says.

Using your thumbs too much to text can cause strain or overuse injuries of the tendons that run from the wrist to the thumb (a condition called De Quervain’s tenosynovitis). Symptoms include pain over the thumb side of the wrist, which can appear gradually or suddenly and move up the forearm.

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