A marathon session of "Candy Crush" resulted in one California man rupturing a tendon in his thumb, according to Live Science.
The bizarre case, first published in an an April issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, featured an unnamed 29-year-old who went to the doctor complaining of pain in his left thumb.
He said he played the "Candy Crush Saga" game on his smartphone every day for six to eight weeks as a way to pass time because he just left the military and was between jobs.
"Playing was a kind of secondary thing, but it was constantly on," the man said in the case study.
An MRI revealed that the source of the pain was a torn tendon in his left thumb brought on by constantly moving his thumb while playing the game.
Dr. Andrew Doan, head of addictions research at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, told Live Science that because the tendon ruptured in a thick area, the man would have felt pain before it ruptured.
But the patient didn't feel any pain while playing the popular gaming app. Doctors said he most likely experienced a type of "runners high," where the body releases natural painkillers during a state of excitement, making the player numb to the pain.
If players are not careful, this could contribute to video game addiction.
"We need to be aware that certain video games can act like digital painkillers," Doan, who co-authored the report, said according to Live Science. "We have to be very cognizant that that can be abused," Doan said.
Doctors said the patient would need to have surgery as a result of his Candy Crush addiction.
