iPad/iPhone thumb
I have been increasingly seeing lots of patients present with a sore thumb and they have no idea how it happened. If you look closely into your lifestyle/ habits you should be able to pick out what's causing this pain. I would like to talk about De'quervain's Tenosynovitis in this blog.
Symptoms
Painful thumb
Pain opening jars/ taps
Holding an object such as a tablet or a phone
Burning/ popping sensation on the thumb side of the wrist
How does it happen
Tendons from the forearm passes into the wrist through a thin sheath called extensor retinaculum which holds all the tendons in place. The tendon is also lubricated by a layer of tissue called tenosynovium (hence the name De'Quervain's tenosynovitis). When the tendon itself or this sheath and the surrounding structures degenerate or gets aggravated by overuse you will start building up inflammation in the area becoming increasingly painful. Generally speaking De'Quervain's syndrome is considered to be an overuse injury.
Coming back to holding an iPad or an iPhone, a lot of people tend to use it for a prolonged period of time (couple of hours at a time sometimes) whether in a meeting or simply browsing the internet at home. What they are forgetting is that their poor thumb muscle is having to work hard to withstand the load for a long time putting a lot of stress on the structures mentioned above. Consequently you will start to develop these symptoms.
Treatments
Localised electrotherapy (such as ultrasound)
Dry needling
RICE (Rest Ice Compress Elevate)
Soft tissue massage
Thumb splints
Education on hand positioning during activity
Stretches/ strengthening
At Physio Room Pymble our Physiotherapists can help you overcome your iPhone/iPad thumb. If the above sounds somewhat similar to what you are experiencing we can help you by correctly assessing, diagnosing and effectively treating the painful area. Call us at 8065 1970 for an appointment!