Chopstick Put Stress on Hands
Chopsticks Put Stress onHands
Repetitive chopstick use may bedoing damage to the joints,
according to research recentlypresented at the American College of
Rheumatology Annual ScientificMeeting. A study of 2500 Chinese
adults with an average age of 60found that daily use of chopsticks
can lead to hand osteoarthritis(OA). Researchers said that chopsticks
place stress on the joints in thefirst, second, and third fingers.
For the study, researchersquestioned the participants on
whether they were right-handed orleft-handed and which hand they
favored while eating with chopsticksor performing other grip-related
activities. Also, the participantshad hand x-rays to detect damage
due to OA. The results showed thatOA was more prevalent in
the joints involved in chopstickuse, compared with those not
involved in chopstick use. Also, 26%of the participants had signs of
OA in their thumb, and chopstick usewas responsible for 20% of the
risk of developing this condition inmen and 37% in women.
Furthermore, participants who wereambidextrous but had a preferred
hand for chopstick use were morelikely to have OA in that preferred
hand. This particular findingsuggests that OA was the result
of using chopsticks rather thanother activities involving the hands.
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