A Massachusetts man with one of the largest thumbs in the world has shown how he uses everyday items like his phone.
Jacob Pina, 25, has gone viral in recent years for his five-inch digit, which has helped him launch a successful YouTube channel and gain millions of followers online.
But while it has given him Internet fame, it has made everyday tasks a little more difficult, like texting and using his cell phone.
At about five inches fully extended, your right thumb is slightly shorter than the six-inch iPhone 16. His left one, he said, is almost the same length.
He demonstrated it in a recent tiktok videowhere you stretched out your thumb to scroll through social media on your phone.
The clip, which has nearly 100,000 views, left viewers shocked and confused, with many wondering if it was edited or if the extreme stretching is painful.
One of them commented: “This makes me physically uncomfortable.”
About one in 10 Americans has very flexible or elastic joints, also known as hypermobile joints, but doctors have no explanation for Pina’s case.
Pina has gone viral on TikTok for her thumb, showing clips comparing it to other objects. The photos above show him trying to use his cell phone with his thumb extended.
Jacob Pina (pictured), 25, claims he can stretch his right thumb to almost five inches long, almost twice the length of the average person.
Although hypermobility has been linked to genetic disorders, he said he does not have any underlying health problems that explain his thumb.
He previously told DailyMail.com: “It’s been a positive experience having a long thumb.” “It has never stopped me from doing anything and sharing it on TikTok has earned me many enthusiastic thumbs up followers around the world.”
It is unclear if he holds any records for having the world’s largest thumb.
Pina didn’t realize she had this strange talent until she was a freshman in high school. He kept it to himself until a friend encouraged him to create a TikTok account in 2019 to show it off.
Since then, he has amassed 2.8 million followers and has posted several videos comparing his thumb to that of other people and objects such as water bottles and video game controllers.
He said that while both thumbs may stretch abnormally, his right thumb is slightly longer. Since his right hand is dominant, it naturally also ends up being the one he shows off most frequently on social media.
He previously told DailyMail.com: “I can’t believe how many likes I have.”
Hypermobile joints have been linked to several genetic and autoimmune diseases.
One of the best known is hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (HEDS), a genetic condition that affects the body’s connective tissues, which gives structure to organs and helps bones remain intact.
HEDS, which is found in between one in 5,000 and one in 20,000 Americans, including celebrities such as Billie Eilish and Lena Dunham, causes excessively flexible and often painful joints, stretchy skin and frequent dislocations.
Marfan syndrome, a similar connective tissue disorder that affects one in 5,000 Americans, also causes joints to be extremely flexible.
Pina hasn’t confirmed whether stretching your thumbs is painful, but she has noted some advantages, including never losing a thumb war.
He said: ‘And I’m pretty good with Xbox. I’m very good at Rainbow Six Siege. I was in the top ten in the world for probably 10 seasons in a row.
Several commenters on his recent video expressed their doubts and concerns about Mr. Pina’s thumb.
One said: ‘Is it some kind of condition causing this or is it edited?’
Another commented: “You don’t understand how confused I am.”
“Bro, this is a sword,” said one spectator.