A Comprehensive Guide to Surviving Smartphone-Induced Pains or Smartphone Scroll-a-thons
'Tis the season to be scrolling! As the festive vibes kick in, our online apps are practically doing cartwheels with the best shopping deals. Thanks to the recent pandemic, it seems even manufacturers and dealers have decided to ditch their brick-and-mortar comfort zones and join the digital party. But amidst the excitement, prolonged scrolling has lead to aches and pains, turning our thumbs into silent protesters against the tyranny of smartphones.
Thumb Aches: The Tiny Rebels of the Digital Age
In an era where people feel naked without their smartphones, our poor thumbs bear the brunt.
Responsible for the most important functions of the human hand, without the thumb, the hand loses about 80% of its efficiency. It is naturally designed to grasp, hold, pinch, and grip, and now they're expected to be text, type, browse, and swipe. Unsurprisingly, excessive smartphone usage can overuse the thumb’s tendons, causing Tendonitis, or Inflammation. The strain on the thumb is further amplified with the excessive use and increasing sizes of phones these days
So, next time you complain about your thumb hurting, just know your smartphone made it to the naughty list.
Wrist Pain: When Texting Becomes a Workout
Thumb and wrist pain go together like peanut butter and jelly, and there's a fancy term for it: De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis, also known as texting thumb. Holding your phone vertically for too long can inflame tendons, turning your texting escapades into a wrist workout. But worry not, we've got some tips to prevent turning your fingers into a fitness routine.
Tips to Prevent Thumb & Wrist Pain:
- Alternate between your left and right hand to hold the phone
- Switch the finger used for scrolling through your phone so that one hand isn’t doing all the work
- Use a stylus pen instead of your finger to minimize the repetitive motion of your thumb
- Place your phone on a table and type from there. The worst position is where you’re holding it in the palm of one hand while trying to type with the same
- Try not to use the same muscles for other activities at the same time. For example, texting and then playing video games with the same hand may not be a good idea
- Stop the activity that’s aggravating things — stay away from your device for a while or take frequent breaks
- If adequate rest and ice-pack treatment don’t get rid of the pain, opt for other treatment options. These include putting the patient in a little splint that immobilizes the area for a few weeks and rests the tendons or injecting medicine around the tendons to break up some of the inflammation
- Use your phone with two hands instead of one. Hold your phone with one hand and use the other hand to scroll through your phone
Back and Neck Pain: The Silent Bowling Ball Challenge
The familiar sounds of 'Beep,' 'Tap tap tap,' 'Ping' may not just be disrupting your peace; they could be secretly conspiring against your spine. Research carried out at the New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine has examined the strain placed on your spine with your head titled at different angles.
When you are walking down the street, with your head held in the neutral, the ears in line with the shoulders, and the shoulder blades tucked back, your head is exerting up to 12 lbs on the spine. This is a normal position and your neck can bear the weight healthily.
When you receive a text, your head drops about 15ᵒ as you read it and 27 lbs is exerted on the spine. You go to answer the text and as you become engrossed in typing your head drops another 15ᵒ. Your neck and spine are now supporting 40 lbs weight!
While you have your phone out you may as well check Facebook. Your head drops to 45ᵒ and there is now 49 lbs exerted on your spine. The load on your spine increases to 60 lbs as your head settles at 60ᵒ while you are scanning the Facebook pages – that’s the equivalent of 5 ten pin bowling balls, an average 8-year-old child, or a Labrador!
Who knew that catching up on social media could be equivalent to bench-pressing a Labrador?
Tips to Prevent Back & Neck Pain:
- Hold your phone up higher – The reduction in the neck degree will reduce the stress placed on your neck.
- If your arms get tired, it's break time.
Conclusion: A Saucy Farewell to Smartphone Pains
In a world dominated by smartphones, a little pain relief goes a long way. Mind your posture, take breaks, and if your hand feels like it's aged a decade, it's time for a smartphone detox. Remember, five hours a day keeps the pain away.
Check out products at Vissco Next for pain relief – because life's too short for smartphone-induced discomfort!
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