'Gun trigger finger' due to surfing the smartphone

Everyday, Ha spent nearly 10 hours checking email, writing documents, surfing Facebook and chatting with iPhone. Recently numb fingers ached, she went to the doctor to find out "sick finger trigger".

Thu Ha (29 years old, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City) said that for more than 5 years now, she has a habit of holding iPhone and iPad on her right hand, then folds her thumb to perform all actions on the screen from web surfing, chatting to writing. draft text."The feeling of thumb numbness appeared almost 2 years ago and it increased gradually. Recently, the situation is much worse, the pain is too bad to sleep so I just went to the hospital" , Ha confessed.

At first, she only felt tired, numb in the morning and gradually reduced to the afternoon, the level of pain increased later that it was difficult to bend her finger down or slide on the phone. She said: 'Sometimes, as a habit, I use my thumb to surf the phone and feel the blood vessels in my fingers twitch and ache. This situation kept me from doing other things like carrying things, writing or opening fuel tanks'.

More and more young people suffer from "thumb" syndrome due to the habit of using smart devices.(Photo: Thi Tran)

In early October, Ms. Hang (District 12) went to the osteoarthritis clinic of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy to treat symptoms of finger numbness.'The doctor said to abstain from using new mobile phones, but to confess that it is more difficult to go to heaven ,' said the 30-year-old woman, taking her phone to surf the web to read newspapers and check mail.

Ms. Hang is a communication specialist for a telecommunications company in Saigon. The majority of work involved writing documents and communicating with customers online, so she always stalked her iPad or smartphone to work."When I go to the company, I use a desktop computer, so I have to go outside a lot. For convenience, I can work anywhere with a Wi-Fi or 3G phone."

Besides using the phone to work, the free time, Hang also surfed the newspaper, logged on dating and chatting services on social networks . She admitted the life was dependent on the phone from when not good. Particularly there are nights, she wakes up in the morning to chat with foreign friends due to time zone difference. By the next morning the numbness of the thumb almost lost its feeling.

Stepping out of the clinic, holding a prescription and having a doctor's prescription attached to a change of behavior, Hang sighed: " I never thought that my habit of using my phone was so harmful. I confess I'm like being addicted, I can't live a peaceful day without checking my inbox or going online to read newspapers, surf the web, check my mail ".

Doctor Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Orthopedic Trauma Department, Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, who treated Ms. Hang, said that she had a "trigger finger" disease in a mild stage so she only needed to combine oral and topical drugs within 10 days and follow up for follow-up. "Most importantly, patients must change their behaviors, specifically abstaining from using new phones to avoid them. If force majeure is used, use other fingers instead, but it is best to abstain until they are completely cured." , the doctor said.

Doctor Nguyen Thanh Nhan is consulting for a patient with a trigger finger.(Photo: Thi Tran)

According to Dr. Nhan, "finger trigger" disease (also known as spring finger, finger turn, folding tendon inflammation, finger fold tendon) is joint and bone disease that often occurs in fingers, especially The thumb is used more. Symptoms in the early stages, the patient may experience mild pain at the bottom of the fingers, press on the pain, movement may become entangled. Especially the thumb is hard to fold when trying to fold or stretch, often hear a 'step'. The pain is usually severe in the morning and gradually worsens during the day.

The cause of this disease is often due to excessive hand use . The most vulnerable subjects are office workers, tailors, watchmakers, typists, phone callers, etc. Some other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, synovial fluid are also factors risk.

There are many treatments. At a mild stage, the doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce swelling, edema of the tendon and inflamed tendons. More severe, it is possible to inject anti-inflammatory on the spot to help relieve symptoms of numbness and tenderness, maximum injection from 2 to 3 times, 1-2 weeks apart. If the disease does not get better, it may be minor surgery or surgery. The most important treatment for this disease requires the patient to adjust the working mode, otherwise the disease will recur or switch to other fingers.

According to the fact of Dr. Nhan, many patients go to the hospital when there are severe aches and pains, being treated with drugs or surgery but they do not give up the behavioral risk habit so the disease does not stop but getting worse. Like Ms. Hang, despite the pain of torture, she was prescribed medicine to drink by the doctor, but she could not stop surfing the smartphone, leading to more and more severe numbness.

"The doctor said that if I had to have severe surgery, I was a little confused, but it was very difficult to quit this habit, I could only try to reduce the time to chat on social networks. Now I have a habit of putting up the phone. On the table and use the other fingers to surf instead of using each thumb as before , "she said.