The use of smartphones can promote the appearance of musculoskeletal disorders in certain sectors of the population. Let’s see what they consist of and how they can be prevented.
A smartphone is a device that combines the features of a cell phone with a pocket computer. Today, it is estimated that at least 3.5 billion people have access to smartphones and use them assiduously to search for information, communicate with loved ones, take pictures, entertain themselves and much more.
An American adult spends 2 hours and 55 minutes a day in front of the mobile, whilein European countries such as Spain this figure increases to almost 4 hours a day. In this country, more than 7 million inhabitants consider themselves addicted to their mobile. The data is worrying and, therefore, even the giants of the industry (Apple, Google and Facebook) have launched initiatives to address the abusive use of new technologies.
It is undeniable that addiction to the mobile phone is a reality, moreover, they have been observed in people dependent on it show higher levels of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the cerebral cingulate cortex, as it happens in other additive mechanisms. In addition to the emotional field, overexposure to the mobile phone is not short in the physical: here are the 8 muscle problems derived from the use of the smartphone.
- We recommend you read: “The 12 muscles of the neck: how many there are and what functions they perform”
What are the problems arising from the use of the smartphone?
As with everything in this life, we are facing a gray scale. Neither phones are the devil, nor their unlimited use is valid. Thanks to these devices, it has been possible to link people regardless of physical distance, jobs have been generated and, even, an unimaginable good has been obtained: unlimited knowledge and the ability to consult information freely. Therefore, it would simply be a mistake to think of these instruments as something solely negative.
Anyway, here we have come to show the most unpleasant “face” of the use of smartphones. Therefore, despite all its positive qualities, we show you how the abuse of them affects your body, especially at the muscular level. Don’t miss it.
1. Test neck
This term refers to a series of musculoskeletal disorders that appear when too many mobiles, tablets and other devices are used that force the spine to adopt a harmful posture.
By tilting the head widely, the muscles of the neck must make a lot of effortto maintain the lever that holds the skull. Therefore, this prolonged position can cause multiple muscle-tendon injuries at the cervical level. This causes increased tone with the appearance of defense muscle contractures, pain and inflammation of the articular veneers, tides and headaches and even nocturnal bruxism.
2. Problems with muscles and tendons in the hands
Sometimes, the cheapest and most bombastic can be expensive. Every manufacturer of mobile phones must seek the ergonomics, comfort and health of the consumer in its products, unless the purposes of their production are solely lucrative.
Studies have shown that people who use smartphones excessively have a longer tendon of the “Flexor pollicis longus” muscle (responsible for flexing the thumb) and in the median nerves. This condition can encourage tendonitis, that is, the degradation of the soft tissues that surround and connect muscles and bones.
3. Shoulder, forearm and thumb load
Interestingly, it has been discovered that using the mobile only with one hand (especially in terms of writing) is associated with a greater muscular load in the shoulder, forearm and thumb. After all, by holding the phone up and writing with our thumb, we are maintaining a completely unnatural position for prolonged periods. In multiple investigations this has been correlated not only with disorders in the neck in the spine, but with musculoskeletal discomfort in the arms and hands.
4. Excessive muscle activity
Again, other scientific reviews report truly interesting data. It has been highlighted, for example, that patients show increased muscle activity and neck tension the larger the mobile device. This causes biomechanical modifications and tingling in arms and hands, among other things.
5. Spring finger
It occurs when afinger or thumb gets stuck in a bent position, as if it were pulling a trigger. Once unclogged, the structures involved “jump” exaggeratedly outwards, hence the name of the pathology.
Spring fingering is more common in people over 45 years of age, women, people with diabetes or who exercise professional activities that require excessive use of the hands. As you can imagine, continuously using the smartphone can trigger this condition in people at risk of suffering from it.
6. Rizarthrosis
Rizarthrosis is a musculoskeletal disorder that affects the thumb of the hand, more specifically the trapezium-metacarpal joint. It is a degenerative process characterized by chronic inflammation, due to the wear and misuse of cartilage between the first metacarpal bone and the trapezius.
Generally, this condition is associated with age and the aging of the structures involved. However, the process can also be accelerated with the excessive use of the thumbs, the elements of the hand that we use most when writing text messages.
7. Headaches due to muscle contractures
Tension headaches are the most common types of headaches in society. This type of discomfort occurs when the muscles of the scalp and neck stretch and contract, for reasons such as anxiety, stress, depression or maintaining inadequate postures over time.
There are 4 main types of tension headaches:
- From the sinuses: the pain is located behind the forehead and in the cheekbones, that is, between the eyes.
- In outbreaks: The pain occurs around one eye. It is often confused with much more serious pathologies.
- By tension: Patients describe it as “a band” that is squeezing the forehead, more or less at the level of scalp insertion.
- Migraine type: corresponds to the patterns of classic migraine.
Believe it or not, tension headaches can be linked to poor posture maintained during excessive use of mobile devices. The neck muscles can bind, and with them, other structures closer to the face, which generates the pain previously described.
8. Myofascial pain syndrome
Although this event is not common or occurs only by the use of mobile phones in a usual way, it is worth emphasizing it as an end to this space. Myofascial pain syndrome is defined as atype of chronic pain, usually after a muscle has contracted repeatedly.
Although we have all felt muscular tension throughout our lives, myofascial pain syndrome differs from common discomforts in that it persists and worsens over time. After an injury or overuse (for example, from the mobile phone), sensitive parts of tight muscle fibers can form, triggering this type of chronic pain that does not improve over time. In these cases, physiotherapy and rehabilitation are necessary to improve the patient’s state of health.
A Final Thought
In many of the sources consulted, it is common to see how it is stated that the use of mobile phones can cause tendinitis, osteoarthritis and even deformations at the level of the wrists and hand. We cannot categorically assure such postulations, because the reality is thatstudies on this subject are in their infancy and there are still many data to be contrasted.
That is why we have tried to be cautious. The fact that certain pathological events have been correlated with the excessive use of smartphones does not mean, far from it, that anyone who abuses them will develop them. Each patient is different, and the previous pathologies and syndromes are clear conditioning factors when quantifying the damage caused by these instruments. It is clear that abusing the mobile is bad, but we can not affirm categorically things that still have to be contrasted and investigated.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.