<div align="justify">Too much texting can give you "smartphone thumb" - a painful condition caused by repetitive movements of typing that may lead to arthritis in the thumb, doctors have warned.<br /><br />The condition formally known as tendinitis was earlier only seen in factory workers. It causes the tendon that bends and flexes the thumb to become inflamed.<br /><br />More and more people are complaining about this type of pain in their thumb each year, according to doctors.<br /><br />"One of the hypotheses is that the joints get loose and lax, and because of that, the bones kind of move differently than they would in a normal situation," said Kristin Zhao, from the Mayo Clinic in the US.<br /><br />Researchers have been studying "smartphone thumb" for the last seven years.<br /><br />Zhao said the movements we require our thumbs to make as we hold our phones are awkward.<br /><br />"It's also a movement that requires some force through the thumbs. It's not just free movement in space," she said.<br /><br />Researchers began using a dynamic imaging technique in 2010 to watch the bones of a healthy patient move so they could document what is normal and compare it with what is not.<br /><br />"Our hypothesis is that abnormal motion of bones in the thumb could be causing pain onset and eventual osteoarthritis," Zhao was quoted as saying by the 'CBS Minnesota'.<br /><br />According to her, too much texting may lead to more cases of arthritis in the thumb.<br /><br />To prevent problems, start by giving your thumbs a break, doctors said. Mix up your method by using your forefinger or use your voice to dictate a message.<br /><br />Perform daily stretching exercises with wrists and fingers may also help prevent the condition, they said. <br /><br /></div>
<div align="justify">Too much texting can give you "smartphone thumb" - a painful condition caused by repetitive movements of typing that may lead to arthritis in the thumb, doctors have warned.<br /><br />The condition formally known as tendinitis was earlier only seen in factory workers. It causes the tendon that bends and flexes the thumb to become inflamed.<br /><br />More and more people are complaining about this type of pain in their thumb each year, according to doctors.<br /><br />"One of the hypotheses is that the joints get loose and lax, and because of that, the bones kind of move differently than they would in a normal situation," said Kristin Zhao, from the Mayo Clinic in the US.<br /><br />Researchers have been studying "smartphone thumb" for the last seven years.<br /><br />Zhao said the movements we require our thumbs to make as we hold our phones are awkward.<br /><br />"It's also a movement that requires some force through the thumbs. It's not just free movement in space," she said.<br /><br />Researchers began using a dynamic imaging technique in 2010 to watch the bones of a healthy patient move so they could document what is normal and compare it with what is not.<br /><br />"Our hypothesis is that abnormal motion of bones in the thumb could be causing pain onset and eventual osteoarthritis," Zhao was quoted as saying by the 'CBS Minnesota'.<br /><br />According to her, too much texting may lead to more cases of arthritis in the thumb.<br /><br />To prevent problems, start by giving your thumbs a break, doctors said. Mix up your method by using your forefinger or use your voice to dictate a message.<br /><br />Perform daily stretching exercises with wrists and fingers may also help prevent the condition, they said. <br /><br /></div>