Chicago Home and Lifestyles – Are you holding your phone properly?

Many of us hold our phones in the same position: the bottom of the phone resting on our pinky, holding the back with the rest of our fingers, and scrolling with our thumb. It seems like an intuitive way to hold the phone, but turns out it’s wrong! This hand position over prolonged periods of time can cause damage to your wrist, and other things too. 

We have all become aware of various maladies caused by too many hours on the phone or gaming. Texting tendinitis along with texting thumb, and gamer’s thumb are all caused by straining ligaments and compressing nerves. Now we have the “smartphone pinky.” It isn’t a medical term yet, but probably will be one soon. 

The pinky, as it is the smallest finger, is not tolerant of the pressure and weight of the phone. It can strain the ligament that connects it to your hand. The way you hold your wrist turned in can also cause ulnar nerve compression if held that way for an extended period (and we all know how much our phones are in our hands). The ulnar nerve starts at your armpit and runs down to the pinky side of your palm. It controls almost all the small muscles of the hand. Too much direct pressure on this nerve can cause pain at the least and nerve damage at the worst!

We all want smaller thinner devices, but our hands were not designed to work too long in this position. It is important to keep the wrist near neutral position, not turned inward and keeping your thumb away from the palm. A pop socket will help some, but the best way is to lay your phone on a flat surface and use other fingers to scroll whenever possible. Take frequent breaks and even consider using a neoprene splint to keep your wrist straight. Take breaks and stretch your fingers up and back. You might be wondering, “do I really need to worry about this?” Remember: severe tendinitis could put you in a cast for a month, or more!  

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago