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Overuse injuries are typically associated with athletics and the workplace. Yet our devices, such as smartphones and tablets, often involve repetitive motions that can place strain on the body.
The average user spends as much as five hours a day on a mobile device. As a result, smartphone use has contributed to a growing number of overuse injuries.
If you have soreness after sending work emails or scrolling social media, here’s what you should know.
What Is an Overuse Injury?
Also known as repetitive strain or motion injury, overuse results from repeating the same actions or spending too much time in an awkward, unnatural position.
These factors create a degree of strain, resulting in microscopic tears that can cause muscle, tendon and nerve pain or numbness. For routine users, the muscles do not have time to repair and the injury can gradually worsen.
Due to the nature of the field, manual labor has long been a cause of overuse injuries. In more recent decades, regular computer use has led to workers developing this condition. Smartphones and tablets can cause similar symptoms affecting the hands.
Cubital tunnel syndrome, which affects the nerve passing behind the elbow, causes numbness in the ring and pinky fingers. This is different from carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects the thumb, middle and index fingers but both stem from pressure on a nerve.
Types of Smartphone-Related Overuse Injuries
Smartphone-related overuse injuries include the following issues affecting the whole body.
1. Text Neck
Very few people use a smartphone or tablet at eye level, instead looking down for hours each day. This action can contribute to poor posture, neck pain and back strain.
In addition to short-term neck soreness, you may experience neck spasms and tension headaches if you continue to hold this position. To avoid these issues, take breaks to stretch out your neck and use its full range of motion.
2. Swiper’s Thumb
Properly known as Quervain’s tenosynovitis, this condition causes inflammation of the tendons along the rear of your thumb. The injury arises from repeatedly moving your thumb up and down, common when swiping your phone screen.
3. Texting Thumb
More teens are developing this condition, likely due to texting and playing video games that involve short, “twitching” movements. Texting or gamer’s thumb causes inflammation of the tendon associated with the adjacent long flexor muscle. Initially, you may notice a burning sensation and later have to manage chronic pain or nerve damage with injections or pain medication.
Take regular breaks when using your phone or playing a video game. Also get in the habit of stretching your fingers and wrists to avoid another issue called “texting claw”. This stiff sensation causes your hand to resemble a claw and can eventually lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
4. Selfie Elbow
This overuse injury involves overextending your arm while gripping your phone. Your body is put in an uncomfortable position with the elbow is locked or stiff, the arm fully extended and the wrist twisted. Your phone also adds weight to the equation, further increasing the strain.
Altogether this inflames the tendons from your hand to your elbow, resulting in tendonitis. To prevent this injury, keep your phone closer to you when taking photos with your elbow bent.
What You Can Do
Because smartphones and tablets are an important part of our daily lives, you’re recommended to:
- Limit the amount of time you spend on your phone.
- Switch hands, so you’re not straining one side of your body.
- If your device is used for work, take breaks to stretch your wrists, hands, arms and neck.
- Change positions, making sure to stand up every 30 minutes.
- Watch your form, keeping the shoulders relaxed and elbows close to your body.
- Consider taking an anti-inflammatory medication or wearing a wrist and hand brace.
Should the pain persist, contact your doctor who may refer you to a physical therapist or recommend imaging to identify the root of the problem. In the event treatment does not have the desired effect, surgery may be needed to relieve pressure on the nerve.
Work with the physical therapy team at Integrated Rehab to manage conditions affecting the elbow, wrist and hand. To learn more about our services, contact us today.