A woman from Changsha, China was left with a bizarre hand deformity after she used her smartphone nonstop for an entire week.
According to a television news report, the unnamed woman had taken one week off work to unwind and chose to spend all of her free time glued to her phone. The woman admitted that she was so attached to her phone during that week, tapping and scrolling all day daily, that she would only release the phone from her hand while she slept at night.
The woman soon developed severe pain in her dominant right hand, which worsened until she was unable to move her fingers properly before her fingers alarmingly became stuck in a “phone-holding position.”
Fearful, the woman sought medical attention at a local hospital where doctors diagnosed her with tenosynovitis – a condition that occurs when fluid-filled sheath, or the synovium, that surrounds a tendon becomes inflamed. This condition is usually caused by diabetes, arthritis or overuse and can lead to joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.
Fortunately for the patient, her condition was not permanent and she regained control of her fingers and hand after treatment. Her doctor, however, cautioned her to use her smartphone in moderation and give her hands some rest: