Do your hands hurt when you use your phone? All that texting and scrolling might be stressing out your fingers. The term ‘texting thumb’ can describe a wide range of phone-related pains caused by tired-out tendons and achy joints — like general stiffness, throbbing near the knuckle and a clicking sensation when bending the thumb.

Causes and Remedies

Locking wrists and elbows in the same position for hours can lead to soreness in places like the base of the thumb or wrist. Holding phones upright for long periods can also tire other fingers. Dr. Maureen O’Shaughnessy with the University of Kentucky HealthCare Hand Center suggests people tend to realize the painful effects when they’re not on their device as much, such as being on vacation.

The simplest way to ease this pain is to limit phone time or take short breaks in between scrolling spurts. Built-in accessibility features can also minimize thumb overuse. Try sending messages using the voice-to-text feature and enlarge the text size so you don’t have to hold the phone so close.

Exercises for Relief

If your hands are throbbing after a long day of screen time, stretch them out daily. Flex the wrist by tilting your palm toward and away from you, pulling and pushing down with the other hand. Dr. Eugene Tsai, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, recommends flexing each of the fingers and making small circles with your thumbs.

For pain at the base of the thumb, you can place your hand on a flat surface and pull the thumb away from the other fingers, holding that for about 30 seconds. If the aches, numbing or tingling persist even after limiting screen time and using remedies like ibuprofen or ice, see a doctor to see if it could be something more serious.

Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.