Claim: Arthritis comes from too much texting

Question

This claim is partly true. Arthritis can come from many different things but mostly comes from repeated movements and affects the joints used to make that movement. When texting, you are moving your fingers in a rapid unnatural movement. This causes strain on the joints and arthritis may develop overtime with age or genetic makeup depending on the individual.

Answer 1

While this claim has some truth to it, it is ultimately incorrect. The article states that “when you text, your thumbs move quickly and often. The repeated, unnatural motion can lead to tendonitis and inflammation of the thumb flexor and tendons. Overuse can cause inflammation and pain associated with arthritis.” Upon first reading this, it seems to be true and logically it makes sense that putting a lot of stress on your thumbs can lead to joint pain and arthritis. Although, after further research, I discovered that according to Dr. Natalie Azar, “repetitive movement actually doesn’t contribute to arthritis. It can exacerbate underlying arthritis, but it’s not a direct cause.” She goes on to say also that there isn’t any definitive data that points toward texting as a cause of arthritis. This directly goes against the claim of the article provided, thus proving it to be false.

Answer 2

The claim "Arthritis comes from too much texting" is not true. Arthritis can be caused by many different factors causing joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation. Osteoarthritis is the most common arthritis which happens as you naturally age. Another cause of arthritis is developing gout where you have too much uric acid in your blood. Some other main causes are your immune system damaging your joints on accident, certain viral infections, and sometimes arthritis happens with no cause or trigger. Some things that can factor into getting arthritis is family history, obesity, smoking, or having an autoimmune disease. So although texting has no confirmed evidence that it causes arthritis it can lead to pain through repetitive strain worsening any existing arthritis.

Answer 3

There have been many myths circulating on the internet about the correlation between arthritis and texting. Although texting involves movements in the hands that can cause pain, there is no direct correlation between the two. The article from UCLA Health provided the fact that “Overuse can cause inflammation and pain associated with arthritis.” Although this may seem like texting causes this disease, it doesn't directly indicate that it does. They claim that overuse can cause pain, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it causes arthritis. The UCLA health department also states that arthritis takes decades to develop, so there is no evidence of direct causation. From another article written by health reporter Caroline Kee, doctor Azar explains the effects of texting thumb by stating, “Technically, wear and tear can increase the risk of osteoarthritis, but there’s no definitive data at this point that texting causes this.” Texting can also increase pain in patients who are already diagnosed with arthritis. The symptoms of pain and inflammation from texting and arthritis are very similar, but there is no definitive data. If texting was targeted as a cause, it doesn't mean that other daily tasks using our hands aren’t causes, either, such as “Sewing clothes, writing, and drawing also require repeated fine motor movements of the fingers and thumbs,” Kee says. (https://www.today.com/health/aging/texting-thumb-rcna221770) Caroline Kee is a health reporter who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's in Health Societies and has experience as a consultant for global health strategies. She has a strong history in this field of work, meaning she is a reliable source for data related to health. (https://www.today.com/author/caroline-kee-tdpn256937) Overall, this fact is false and can be misleading when read the wrong way. 

Answer 4

This claim is misleading, but partly true. In an article from Yale Medicine from December 6th, 2024, the repetitive motion on people's thumbs from excessive phone use isn't healthy, but the claim that arthritis directly comes from too much phone use is false. The excessive use of a phone may trigger pain and cause stiffness, but it does not directly cause someone to have arthritis. The article states it's important that more research needs to be done to fully understand if there's a connection between too much smartphone use and arthritis, but it's important to recognize the potential risks and preventive measures that come from smartphone use.

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/is-there-a-link-between-hand-pain-and-your-smartphone-use