Sending text messages on phones is now so popular in China that it’s given rise to an entirely new form of repetitive stress injury: Sore thumbs. From a story in the China Daily:

Wang Heping, a senior doctor with Renmin Hospital of Northwest China’s Gansu Province, said: “I have diagnosed four cases of tenosynovitis this year, and I believe there are more people who haven’t seen a doctor.”

Thumbs might be hurt by pressing the phone keypad too much, too quickly and in a very small area, Wang said.

“To keep your thumbs healthy, the best way is to write less messages and do more physical exercise,” he said.

(Thanks to Techdirt Wireless News for this one!)