What is Gamer’s Thumb and How to Fix It
29 Jun 2025
Author: Josh Thomas, Physiotherapist and Hand Therapist, Habit Health
What is Gamer’s Thumb?
Gamer’s thumb is a term that can describe a range of conditions causing pain in the thumb and wrist, but it’s most commonly used to describe a condition called De Quervain’s tenosynovitis.
This is an overuse injury that affects the tendons running along the thumb side of your wrist. These tendons become irritated and inflamed, often causing pain that starts at the base of your thumb and travels down into your wrist.
It is a type of repetitive strain injury. We see similar injuries in people doing lots of typing or physical work, but in this case, it is linked to gaming or excessive phone use.
The cause is repeating small thumb and wrist movements over and over again without enough breaks. Think about the constant motion of using a joystick, tapping a screen, swiping through social media, or using game controllers.
What are the Symptoms of Gamer’s Thumb?
Typical symptoms include:
- Pain along the thumb and into the wrist (especially with movement)
- Discomfort when gripping or lifting objects such as a kettle or milk bottle
- Pain when performing thumb movements such as swiping across a phone
- Tenderness or swelling near the base of the thumb
- Reduced strength or difficulty performing daily activities
Some people find it a minor niggle. Others find it quite debilitating. Many of my patients report pain levels of 7 or 8 out of 10 when they first come in.
Who Gets Gamer’s Thumb?
While the name suggests this is a gamer’s injury, I see it across a wide range of people:
- Gamers (of all ages)
- Frequent phone users (including younger adults and teens)
- Office workers (heavy computer and mouse use)
- Anyone doing repetitive hand movements
Gaming behaviours that can contribute to gamer’s thumb include:
- Long gaming marathons without breaks
- Live stream gaming on platforms like Twitch, where players may game for extended periods to engage an audience
- Playing fast-paced first-person shooter (FPS) games, which require repetitive and rapid thumb movements on joysticks or buttons
- Mobile gaming with frequent swiping or tapping on screens.
- Using handheld consoles or gaming controllers that involve sustained grip and thumb motion
It is not just about how often you game, but you game. Playing for hours without breaks or using poor hand positions can significantly increase your risk of developing gamer’s thumb.
How to Fix Gamer’s Thumb
If you suspect you have developed “gamer’s thumb”, here is how I typically approach treatment.
1. Rest and Activity Modification
The first step is recognising the problem and reducing the aggravating activity. This does not mean giving up gaming entirely, but it does mean adjusting how long you play, taking breaks, and reducing the intensity of thumb movements where possible.
Similarly, cutting back on phone time, or being more mindful of how you are holding your phone, can help.
2. Splinting
We often fit patients with a thumb splint to help offload the tendons and allow inflammation to settle.
A splint can support your thumb without fully immobilising it, meaning you can still do most everyday tasks, just with less pain.
3. Exercises
Once symptoms start to settle, we move on to specific exercises. These help retrain your thumb and wrist muscles to move in a more controlled way and build strength.
For gamers, we will tailor exercises to mimic the movements they use during gaming, so they can get back to playing without pain.
4. Building Awareness
An important part of recovery is improving what we call proprioception, which is your body’s awareness of where your thumb and wrist are in space.
Often the problem is not lack of strength, but poor movement patterns or going into extreme ranges. We work with patients to build better movement habits.
What Happens if You Ignore It?
It can be tempting to push through the pain. But ignoring “gamer’s thumb” can lead to:
- Chronic pain that lasts beyond 12 weeks
- Further injuries in your forearm, elbow, or shoulder as your body tries to adapt
Longer recovery times. The sooner you seek help, the quicker you can get back to gaming pain-free.
How Long Does Recovery Take?
Recovery depends on how soon you address it. If someone comes in early, within a few weeks of symptoms starting, they may recover in 4 to 6 weeks.
If they have been pushing through pain for months, recovery can take much longer, sometimes just as long as the symptoms have already been present.
The key is not to wait. The earlier you act, the better your outcome will be.
Can You Prevent Gamer’s Thumb?
Absolutely. My top tips:
- Listen to your body. If you start to feel discomfort, take a break
- Take micro-breaks every 20 to 30 minutes (move your hands, stretch, change your posture)
- Adjust your grip. Reduce how hard you are pressing or gripping your controller or phone
- Strengthen your hand and wrist. Exercises can help improve resilience
Be mindful of posture. The best posture is one that keeps changing. Avoid holding one static position for hours.
One Last Thing
Some gamers and heavy phone users feel a bit embarrassed about seeking help for this type of injury.
There is no judgement in our clinic. Our goal is to help you keep doing the things you love, comfortably and safely.
If you love gaming, we want to help you keep playing. If your thumb is starting to cause pain, reach out early. Even one session of physiotherapy or hand therapy can make a big difference.
If you are experiencing symptoms of gamers thumb, or have any concerns about thumb or wrist pain, Habit Health’s physio and hand therapy team is here to help. Book online or contact your local clinic to get started. The sooner we see you, the sooner you can get back to gaming pain-free.
Please note: As gamer’s thumb/ De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is a repetitive strain injury, it is not covered by ACC.