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

This was an interesting claim to research. When first reading the claim and its explanation, logically, it makes sense that putting that much repeated stress on the same motion can cause your joints to wear down. However, the further I got into the article, the more this claim fell apart. In the article, they state that the "unnatural motion" of texting can lead to inflammation within your thumb joint. 1 sentence later, they say that arthritis takes too long to develop, so they can't conclude a direct causation between texting and arthritis. In a different article by MSN, titled "Can Your Smartphone Give You Arthritis? A Doctor Explains 'Texting Thumb'. Dr. Natalie Azar states, “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 texting thumb is inflammation within the thumb due to repeated flexing, seen in things like texting, gaming, or even repeatedly picking up a baby. She goes on to say, "Tendonitis or tenosynovitis of that area can be the reason that people have pain, and not have anything to do with arthritis."  So while it is true that inflammation can be caused by repetitive texting, there is no clear study showing that this can eventually lead to, or be the main cause of, arthritis in your thumbs/hand.

Comments

This was a very good answer, and I liked the source that you gave. I think one thing that could make it a little clearer and make your point stronger would be to explain that yes, inflammation is a part of arthritis, but it doesn't fully cause arthritis.

Answer 2

This claim is partly true. In an article published by Yale Medicine it discusses how frequent smartphone use tapping swiping pinching holding the device- can contribute to hand or thumb pain, stiffness and muscle strain. While it's not definitively proven that smartphone use alone causes conditions like thumb arthritis or never compression it can aggravate existing conditions. Some risk factors make people more susceptible small hand sizes which means reaching farther across the screen. 

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

Another source published by cascare orthopedic and sports medicine center. The article states that yes typing especially for long periods can lead to painful hand and wrist issues, though it clarifies that many of these problems are preventable with proper practices. It explains how over repetition of similar finger/ wrist movements puts extra stress on tendons and other soft tissues, which can lead to tiny tears. Inflammation and eventually overuse injuries if the hands don't get adequate rest. 

https://www.cosmc.org/blog/can-typing-too-much-cause-hand-problems 

Answer 3

Texting alone doesn’t cause arthritis, but constantly using your thumbs and wrists to text can put extra stress on those joints over time. According to UCLA Health, repeated, unnatural movements, like fast typing on a phone, can lead to inflammation and pain in the tendons and joints, which might increase the risk of developing arthritis later on. Still, experts say most of the pain people feel from texting is more likely short-term overuse injuries (like tendonitis) rather than true arthritis.

In reality, arthritis usually develops from a mix of factors, things like age, genetics, past injuries, and long-term joint wear. So, while texting can definitely make your hands ache or worsen symptoms if you already have arthritis, it’s not the direct cause. It’s more accurate to say that too much texting can contribute to joint strain, but arthritis itself is a much more complex condition.

Sources:

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/can-texting-give-you-arthritis?

https://ccoe.us/news/does-repetitive-motion-cause-arthritis/?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7478614/?

Answer 4

Arthritis affects your joints, and can occur for a variety of reasons; namely, advancing age, genetics, past injury, or just usual aging over time or general wear and tear. Currently there is no direct evidence that texting nonstop causes arthritis. As noted by UCLA Health, repetitive actions such as texting "adds extra stress and wear-and-tear on your joints, especially the joints of your thumbs," but it acknowledges texting is also relatively a new phenomenon, and arthritis often takes decades to develop. Certain studies have indicated that excessive use of the phone can be painful or uncomfortable in hands and thumbs, and it can impart stress on tendons and joints. A study on students found excessive use of phones were correlated to an increase of wrist and hand pain accounted for by hand position or typing position on phone (PubMed Central). It is also worth noting that a strong pinch grip or habitual repetitive hand action - typing on computer keyboard, playing an instrument - makes the person more susceptible to joint problems later in life, such as base of thumb arthritis (BMJ Open Quality).

Answer 5

The claim that arthritis comes from too much texting is false. After reading many articles, I have found that although the original claim makes sense due to the excessive overuse of our fingers, there is no actual correlation from texting to arthritis. Health Pointe explains that there is no scientific evidence that testing is a direct cause of arthritis. Even though there are lots of repetitive finger movements that can lead to pain or strain.  The White Label article says something similar. It explains that frequent phone usage may worsen joint discomfort or create more problems with people who are already prone to arthritis, but it doesn’t cause the condition itself. Arthritis itself is a long-term joint disease influenced by age, genetics, and previous injuries, which has nothing to do with texting. Overall, texting can cause short-term soreness or overuse injuries, but it does not directly lead to arthritis.

Answer 6

After researching this claim I've come to find that while it is not a complete lie it is also not completely true. While texting and gripping your phone is a repetitive motion that many people do multiple times a day, and that repetitiveness and motion of your joints particularly in the thumb can be part of the cause of arthritis and arthritis flare ups, it is not a direct and singular cause. This claim fails to mention that arthritis can also come from our genes, aging, weight gain, stress, and also the other multitudes of possible daily joint stressing motions each of us could be doing depending on our routines and jobs. I would also like to point out that in the article from UCLA health they even mention that they’re claim isn’t one hundred percent proven yet due to the fact that “texting is still a relatively new activity and arthritis can take many decades to develop.” So while this claim does have truth to it I believe that it is a bit exaggerated and leaves out that arthritis could be coming from a multitude of things and not just solely texting.

Sources

• https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/managing-pain/pain-relief-solutions/what-triggers-an-arthritis-flare

• https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/arthritis

Answer 7

While texting can cause inflammation in joints, its not what causes arthritis. in the UCLA article that's given they start off with this claim but towards the end some of their evidence doesn't match to the statement. they do mention "smartphone each day. 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" (UCLA). which i also found in another article from Pub Medicine Central where they also bring up how it can cause pain but not arthritis directly "Our study found a significant correlation between smartphone addiction and thumb/wrist pain" (PMC). its also important to note that in the UCLA page they talk about how arthritis comes from different factors and can take a long time to develop

Answer 8

After examining the claim that excessive texting causes arthritis, I found no credible scientific evidence supporting it. Although many people experience hand or wrist pain from frequent texting, studies indicate these symptoms are usually due to temporary strain or overuse, not arthritis. Arthritis involves joint inflammation and degeneration, typically resulting from genetics, aging, autoimmune disorders, or injury—not texting habits or phone use. Primary sources back this conclusion. A 2020 study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research tested the use of text messaging to help arthritis patients adhere to exercise routines. It showed that texting supports treatment rather than causes the disease (Nelligan et al., 2020). Another study in JMIR mHealth and uHealth examined how text messages can improve rheumatoid arthritis care but did not suggest texting causes arthritis (Barber et al., 2024). These studies focus on texting as a tool for managing arthritis, not as a risk factor for developing it. Secondary sources like The Rheumatologist and Arthritis Research & Therapy also support these findings, discussing texting as a means of communication or patient care. No link between texting and arthritis (The Rheumatologist, 2019). Medical organizations such as the Arthritis Foundation list common causes—like genetics, age, joint injury, and autoimmune conditions—but do not mention texting or smartphone use as factors. These sources show minimal bias, as most are academic or medical institutions dedicated to studying arthritis or patient care, not defending or criticizing smartphone use. Although some ergonomic studies note that heavy texting can cause “texting thumb” or repetitive strain injuries, these are temporary conditions, distinct from arthritis. Overall, evidence strongly refutes the claim. No peer-reviewed studies connect texting to arthritis, and reputable research points to established causes. Therefore, the idea that arthritis results from excessive texting is false. While heavy texting may cause temporary discomfort, it does not cause arthritis.

Answer 9

The claim that, "arthritis comes from too much texting,” isn’t true. While fact checking this claim, my attention was caught by two different articles. The first article is the same one cited by the original poster (Can texting give you arthritis? | UCLA Health). This article has some misleading information. It starts by talking about how the repetition of motions that your fingers (predominantly your thumbs) perform while texting can wear down your joints which will eventually lead to arthritis. Then, later in the article, it discusses the fact that texting is too new to know for sure if it can be a direct cause that leads to arthritis.

The second article that I read (Can Texting Cause Arthritis? The Truth Behind the Myth - Healthpointe Can Texting Cause Arthritis? Debunking the Myth | Healthpointe) discussed that, “there is no evidence to suggest that texting or using handheld devices can cause arthritis directly.” In the next paragraph, the article explains the differences between “texting thumb” and arthritis. Texting thumb is an injury that can appear similarly to arthritis, but they aren’t their symptoms aren’t the same nor do they have any correlation.