TORONTO – A California man ruptured a tendon in his thumb after playing smartphone game Candy Crush non-stop for over a month.
According to a case study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, the 29-year-old played the puzzle game all day using only his left hand for a period of six to eight weeks.
Apparently the man didn’t notice any pain as a result of the injury until toward the end of his marathon session.
According to the medical report, the man went to the doctors complaining of chronic thumb pain and loss of active motion.
“His tendon was getting inflamed and worn down and he didn’t feel pain,” Dr. Andrew Doan, one of the authors of the study, told ABC News.
The clinical diagnosis was a rupture of the left extensor pollicis longus tendon, the report read.
The authors of the report warn of the dangers of addictive gaming, and say that video games may act as a pain suppresser.
“The potential for video games to reduce pain perception raises clinical and social considerations about excessive use, abuse, and addiction,” the report read. ” Future research should consider whether pain reduction is a reason some individuals play video games excessively, manifest addiction, or sustain injuries associated with video gaming.”
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