Tendonitis is caused by the repeated motion of pressing buttons by texting on a cell phone. It is the irritation of the finger and thumb joints and your knuckles. By constantly keeping your hand wrapped around your phone and tapping buttons or scrolling with your thumb, you can start to feel effects of joint inflammation, tendonitis, and even arthritis. According to Chris Iliades, MD and Everyday Health, “researchers believe that osteoarthritis of the wrists and fingers could be an increasing danger for adults who spent too much time texting as kids.” Doctors are starting to see growing numbers of teenagers reporting pain in the joints in their hands.

The solution? It’s as simple and as difficult as this: STOP TEXTING SO MUCH! According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children and young adults spend more than 7 hours a day on their phone. Hours on social media can be entertaining, but is updating twitter worth your declining health? Try to limit your texting, and keep text messages short and to the point. For long responses, a phone call or face to face conversation would be best. Take frequent breaks from gaming or texting (you can use this ‘text free’ time to charge your phone!). You don’t need to be attached to your phone at all times. Stretch your fingers and wrists often, and if you feel pain in your hands, ice the sore spots. If pain becomes constant and occurs every time you use your phone, talk to your doctor.