Are you guilty of ‘doomscrolling’?

‘Doomscrolling’ refers to endlessly scrolling through bad news on your phone or computer. It became particularly prevalent during the COVID pandemic and apart from the distressing psychological implications, Australian doctors now say there’s a physical risk as well.

“There is most definitely an increase in thumb pain in clients that we see in private practice from excessive scrolling on phones, no doubt about it,” Melbourne physio and hand therapist Karen Fitt told the Herald Sun.

“Since Covid hit, time on phones has increased by 50 per cent or more and that leads to a commensurate increase in some pain and injuries. And definitely, that’s what we see in the clinic.”

Ms Fitt says the problem was caused by the tendons around the thumb working in an abnormal way.

“If you think about how most people would hold their phone, and they just flick up with their thumb, there’s two problems with that,” she says.

“It’s not a normal movement that we would make and so that tendon isn’t really designed to work in a repetitive, straightening up motion. You’re overloading that tendon and asking it to do something that it doesn’t normally do.

Have you noticed your thumbs getting sore after scrolling for too long? Or is this just one more thing they want us to worry about?

2 comments

Don't bother me none.  I have a phone and I use it as a PHONE.  It's a novel concept I know, but there you go.  I have too many other things to do than waste my day glued to a phone.  I do use it to keep my shopping lists on as well, but not scrolling through trashy news.

 

Like you John

Only use phone for a phone beside GPS for driving.

Beside there is enough Gloom on TV especially ABC

 

Never heard the words "doom scrolling" before today. Anyhow, it's not something I do. I avoid as much of the doom and gloom in the media, online, forums and watch the news once a day. That's enough for me.

 

2 comments



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