These days, you reach for your smartphone at every spare moment. Whether it's to quickly look something up, send messages or scroll through social media, your hands are almost constantly in action. But did you know that this digital behaviour is increasingly leading to wrist problems due to smartphone use? This is especially common among adolescents and young workers. These complaints are usually underestimated. In this blog, you will read what causes these wrist complaints, how to recognise them and what you can do about them.
More and more people are getting wrist problems
From research has shown that smartphone use is increasingly leading to complaints in the hand, wrist and thumb. In physiotherapy practices, we see a noticeable increase in people with these kinds of complaints. Often, you don't immediately come up with the idea yourself that it is because of your phone use. Yet the movements you perform dozens of times a day, such as tapping, swiping, holding and scrolling, are more stressful than they seem. Especially if you do this for a long time and with one hand, tension builds up in tendons and muscles unnoticed.
A major cause is holding the phone with one hand for long periods of time, operating with your thumb. Your thumb then makes unusually large movements in a limited space, while your wrist remains in an unnatural position. This seems harmless, until you notice that it becomes painful when moving or that you have less strength when grasping objects.
Signals to take seriously
Wrist pain often develops gradually. You don't have to feel severe pain to be dealing with overuse. Pay attention to these signs:
- A nagging or stabbing pain on the thumb side of the wrist
- Tired or pulling sensation in the forearm
- Reduced grip strength
- Tingling or stiffness in hand or fingers
- Pain when holding your phone or typing
If you continue to ignore these signals, it can turn into chronic overuse or even nerve irritation.
What can you do yourself against wrist pain caused by smartphone use?
The good news is that you can do a lot to prevent or reduce symptoms. These are simple but effective adjustments:
Tip 1. Switch hands
Use your smartphone alternately left and right, so you don't always strain the same muscles.
Tip 2. Support your arm
Rest your forearm or elbow on a table to avoid unnecessary tension.
Tip 3. Type with multiple fingers
Limit the use of just your thumb. Type with multiple fingers whenever possible or use voice functions.
Tip 4. Take regular breaks
A short screen break every 30 to 60 minutes helps prevent overload.
Tip 5. Perform stretching exercises
Consciously stretch and move your wrist, fingers and forearm during your breaks. Your physiotherapist can guide you in this.
When is it wise to seek help?
Do your symptoms not disappear or instead increase? Then it is wise to contact a physiotherapist. During an intake, we look closely at where the strain is located and draw up a treatment plan that suits your symptoms and daily functioning. Treatment may include mobilising techniques to make the wrist move more smoothly, exercise therapy aimed at strength and coordination, and advice on posture and the use of your phone or other devices. If necessary, we use tape or a wrist support to prevent further strain.
In doing so, we look not only at the wrist itself, but also at the chain around it. Tension in the shoulder or neck can play an important role in causing or maintaining wrist complaints. By including this in the treatment, we ensure a lasting solution.
Do you suffer from wrist pain due to smartphone use?
Are you still experiencing pain, stiffness or reduced strength in your wrist or thumb? Then don't wait any longer and don't let it get worse. Our physiotherapists will be happy to help you with personal advice and targeted treatment.
Take today contact with us at 085-5000333 or mail to info@friskfysio.nl to schedule an appointment. Together, we work towards a complaint-free daily life.
