Perhaps our smartphones are actually too smart for our own good. Our cell phones, now referred to as smartphones, are causing many of us to suffer from repetitive strain injuries. These injuries result from repetitive motions that cause stress to a ligament, tendon, muscle, etc. In short, our smartphone usage is causing hand injuries \u2013 among other injuries too.<\/p>\n
The fact that smartphones are causing injuries to our hands should be no surprise to anyone. This problem has occurred since the days of the BlackBerry phone, a once widely popular phone that was eventually topped by the iPhone and Android devices. However, during the time of the BlackBerry a famous name was born:\u00a0“BlackBerry thumb”<\/em>. You may have already guessed it but BlackBerry thumb originated because of the strain that was commonly associated with our thumbs after texting too much. Nowadays, people may refer to the same problem using different names:\u00a0texting thumb, smartphone thumb, iPhone thumb, Android thumb, and so on.<\/p>\n A recent\u00a0article\u00a0reveals that tendonitis is most frequent in younger people, the same people who happen to make up a large majority of the \u201chigh-tech people\u201d, according to a division leader for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, David Ruch.<\/p>\n Stop and ask yourself: are you using your smartphone too much? Some of us have no choice as smartphones are beginning to play a major role in the world of business, but\u00a0improper usage<\/strong>\u00a0is actually the reason why people develop problems in their hands. \u201cHold your smartphone a little bit further away from your body\u201d, suggests David Ruch.<\/p>\n You won\u2019t actually know you have a problem until you begin to feel the physical symptoms associated with the problem. The main symptom is generally a pain felt on the side of your wrist towards the thumb. If you find yourself experiencing slight numbness in the tips of your fingers \u2013 especially your thumb \u2013 then you may have already caused damage to your nerves. This doesn\u2019t mean you should forego using a smartphone altogether, but rather limit your usage.<\/p>\n Quick tip:<\/em>\u00a0only go on your smartphone when you absolutely NEED to. We say this because a lot of us will impulsively check our phones even if we have not heard a ring, text tone, or vibration of any sort. The easiest way to limit usage is by stopping the impulsivity to check our phone every 2 minutes.<\/p>\n Texting thumb is technically referred to as\u00a0De Quervain\u2019s tendonitis\u00a0and can be treated non-surgically by your\u00a0Los Angeles hand surgeon\u00a0through medication, lifestyle changes involving proper posture, and splints to limit movement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Perhaps our smartphones are actually too smart for our own good. Our cell phones, now referred to as smartphones, are causing many of us to suffer from repetitive strain injuries. These injuries result from repetitive motions that cause stress to a ligament, tendon, muscle, etc. In short, our smartphone usage is causing hand injuries \u2013 … <\/p>\nHow Do I Know I Have A Problem?<\/h2>\n