Public Health and Primary CareCASE REPORTS

Tenosynovitis Caused by Texting: An Emerging Disease

John V. Ashurst, OMS IV; Domenic A. Turco, OMS IV; and Brian E. Lieb, DO
Notes and Affiliations
Notes and Affiliations

Received: August 26, 2009

Accepted: December 3, 2009

Published: May 1, 2010

J Osteopath Med; 110(5): 294-296
Abstract

De Quervain tenosynovitis is characterized by pain that overlies the radial aspect of the wrist and that is aggravated by ulnar deviation of the hand. The most common cause of de Quervain tenosynovitis is overuse of the thumb musculature. The authors report a case of bilateral de Quervain tenosynovitis observed in a woman aged 48 years at a rural outpatient primary care office. The condition was induced by the patient’s excessive use of the text messaging feature on her cellular telephone. Treatment, including naproxen, cock-up wrist splints, and limitation of texting, resulted in complete recovery of the patient. The authors urge physicians to be aware of the potential association between a patient’s tenosynovitis symptoms and excessive texting.

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