What is texter’s thumb?

ThumbHand

Oct 7

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis

Learn about one reason why your thumb hurts

Everything You Need to Know About Texter's Thumb

Chances are, if you're reading this blog post, you've suffer from texter's thumb. You know, that achy, crampy feeling you get in your thumb after spending too much time scrolling through your Facebook feed or texting your BFF. But what exactly is texter's thumb, and how can you get rid of it? Keep reading to find out!

What is Texter's Thumb?

Texter's thumb is a condition caused by overuse of the muscles and tendons in the thumb and wrist. The condition gets its name from the fact that it is often caused by excessive texting; however, any activity that requires repetitive motion of the thumb can lead to texter's thumb. Symptoms include pain and tenderness in the thumb and wrist, as well as weakness in the muscles of the hand.

The medical term for texter’s thumb is De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. It is tenosynovitis of the abductor pollicis longus (APL) and extensor pollicis brevis (EPB) tendons. These tendons are muscles of the thumb. This condition is traditionally also known as new mom’s thumb, washer woman’s strain, tenovaginitis, and stenosing tenosynovitis.

What Causes Texter's Thumb?

Texter's thumb is caused by overuse of the muscles and tendons in the thumb and wrist. The condition is often caused by excessive texting; however, any activity that requires repetitive motion of the thumb can lead to texter's thumb. Activities that can lead to texter's thumb include using a computer keyboard, playing video games, or even opening a jar with a twisting motion. In some cases, underlying medical conditions such as arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome can also contribute to the development of texter's thumb.

The repetitive use of the wrist or thumb causes microtrauma, inflammation and local pain. This inflammation can occur within the tendons and it’s surrounding synovial lining (hence the name teno for tendon, and synov for synovial, and itis for inflammation).

Which Muscles are Affected?

The muscles most commonly affected by texter's thumb are the thenar eminence muscles, which are located in the palm of the hand near the base of the thumb, and the extensor pollicis longus muscle, which extends along the back of the forearm just below the elbow. These muscles work together to stabilize and move the thumb. When they are repeatedly used in activities such as texting, they can become strained and inflamed, leading to pain and tenderness.

Who usually gets texter’s thumb?

Texter’s thumb can happen to anyone of any age but typically those over the age of 40 are 3.5 times more likely to be affected than those under 20 years of age. Also, about 4-6 times as many females will be affected relative to males.

What does texters thumb feel like?

Pain usually starts insidiously (with no acute event triggering the pain), and is often felt on the radial aspect of the wrist (where the thumb is). Pain can radiate up the wrist and forearm and is often worse with thumb and wrist movements. Pain is often relieve with rest, or with the application of heat or cold. Rarely, texters thumb can cause a ‘locking’ of the thumb or a ‘squeaky’ sensation in the localized area.

Risk factors

Activities of repetitive thumb and wrist movement puts people at risk of developing texter’s thumb. Some examples include:

Secretarial duties, typing, mechanics, cashiers
Instrument playing, gripping based activities (rock climbing), throwing, racket sports
Video game playing
Rheumatoid or osteoarthritis
New parenthood (due to awkward position of thumb and wrist while holding a baby)

How Can I Treat Texter's Thumb?

There are a few different ways you can treat texter's thumbs:

Rest: One of the best ways to treat texter's thumb is to give your hands a break from repetitive motions. If you spend a lot of time texting or typing on a computer keyboard, take breaks every 20 minutes or so to stretch your fingers and give your thumbs a rest.
Ice: Applying ice to the affected area can help reduce pain and swelling. Try applying an ice pack for 20 minutes at a time several times a day.
Heat: Applying heat to the affected area can help loosen tight muscles and promote blood flow to aid in healing. Try taking a warm bath or using a heating pad set on low for 20 minutes at a time several times a day.
Massage: Gently massaging the affected muscles can help reduce pain and promote relaxation. Scraping techniques using tools like gua sha can be used by your massage therapist on the affected tendons. Techniques such as myofascial release and cross friction massage are typically used in the non-acute stages of recovery. Combination with cryotherapy following massage can also help to further reduce inflammation.
Physical Therapy: In most cases, physical therapy is recommended by a doctor in order to minimize pain and improve function. A physical therapist can teach you exercises that stretch and strengthen your hand muscles without aggravating your condition.
Corticosteroid injection (hydrocortisone or methylprednisolone) - this has reported success rates ranging from 62-93%. This may be recommended by your medical doctor following a consultation with a physiotherapist depending on severity of symptoms.
Surgery: In very rare cases where conservative treatment methods (such as physiotherapy and massage therapy) have failed to provide relief, surgery may be recommended in order to release pressure and decompress tendons. Partial extensor ligament resection may also be used (Shiller et al showed a 90-100% success rate, however there is reported to be a roughly 4% risk of radial nerve lesion)

How long does it take to recover from texter’s thumb?

Typically prognosis for texters thumb is considered to be excellent for mild to moderate cases. The more risk factors (as mentioned above) you have the slower the recovery rate. Often improvements are expected in as little as 3 weeks following physiotherapy and massage therapy.

Conclusion:

Texter's thumbs is surprisingly common condition caused by overuse of the muscles in the hand and wrist . The condition gets its name from excessive texting; however any activity requiring repetitive use of motions with the thumb can lead to the condition (playing video games or opening jars). There are several treatment options available for relieving pain and discomfort associated with texters thumb including resting the affected area and applying ice or heat. For severe cases physical therapy or may be required for normal use of the hand. If you are suffering from texting related pain don't hesitate to contact us for advice on how to cure texters thumb!