reasons why you may have a flare-up but another reason can be your smartphone.
Your phone is in your hand and being used all day long, if not most of the day. When it comes to placements and how phones are held, there is definitely a link to your phone being a trigger for your arthritis.
Repetitive motion puts stress on your joints in your fingers. Your fingers are where an RA flare-up will usually start.
Constantly texting in a repeated motion can cause stress. Using your phone constantly can also cause stress to your wrist, and even your neck. When using your phone, your neck is usually bent down looking at it. If you’re constantly in a bent-over position and RA is known to affect the shoulders, this could cause stress and stiffness to your joints.
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What To Do When You Feel Your Arthritis Flaring
If you live with rheumatoid arthritis and feel yourself in pain, this could mean that inflammation is occurring. In the event of inflammation flaring up, first identify where the pain is.
Once you’ve identified where the pain is, stop and take a look at what you’re doing. If you are using your smartphone, texting, scrolling on social media or watching videos, stop immediately.
If you are actively moving and experiencing pain, stop for a moment and rest. If possible, try stretching and see if that helps. Take a warm and moist towel and put it on the area you are experiencing pain to help loosen up the stiffness in the joints.
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Other Health Problems Your Phone Could Cause
Besides your phone triggering joint pain and rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups, there are other health problems that can come with using your phone too much.
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Using your phone too much can cause dry eyes and vision problems. When staring at a screen for long periods of time, the eye doesn’t blink as much as it needs to. This causes dry eyes and can lead to trouble with vision later on down the line.
Another health concern that can come from using your phone excessively is cancer. Though this health condition can take years to develop, there is a link between mobile phones and cancer because of the exposure to radiation.
As helpful as smartphones are, it’s important to remember that using them too much can cause serious problems in the future. Try limiting your screen and phone usage and see how well it impacts your life.
