With an average of five hours on the cell phone every day, it’s no wonder The Precision Hand Surgery Center at Ortho El Paso is seeing more cases of hand pain. On a daily basis, we use our cell phones for so many tasks: alarms, emailing, reading the news, social media, watching movies and/or podcasts, and taking, editing and posting photos. But, most of all, it is how many of us communicate…through texting. It’s no wonder we are seeing more cases of hand pain. There is even a condition now being called “texting thumb.” Other effects of extensive cell phone use include trigger finger and carpal tunnel.
Repetitive stress injuries of the hand, wrist, and elbow pain from overuse of the cell phone is painful. The problem is that the pain won’t get better before it gets worse, unless you rest from using the cell phone. And, well, how many of us can do that?
There are some things we can do to reduce these stress injuries due to cell phone use. Here are a couple of suggestions:
- Switch hands when holding the cell phone
- Stretching your arms, hands and fingers on a more regular basis
- Reduce inflammation by taking over the counter pain reducer, like ibuprofen
- Lay your phone down on a counter or in your lap and use it like a keyboard
- Make more calls; less texting
- Take a break from social (it is reported that some of us spend 4 of those 5 hours on the cell phone looking at social posts)
Using some of these preventive measures will hopefully help your injuries heal. If the discomfort, tingling and numbness persists, you may have permanent injury that needs treatment. For an analysis of the extent of your hand injuries, schedule an appointment with The Precision Hand Surgery Center at Ortho El Paso by calling 915-249-4000.
For more information on The Precision Hand Surgery Center at Ortho El Paso, visit https://www.orthoep.com/hand-surgery-center
