5 Weird Pains You Can Blame On Your Smartphone—and How to Fix Them

Have a weird ache in your elbow, or has your neck started feeling sore? It may be all your smartphone's fault. "Our bodies weren't meant to hunch forward and hold out a phone all day," says Jaime Quinn, DPT, a physical therapist with the Professional Physical Therapy network. Here, five ways your smartphone could be hurting you—plus how to correct them so you can safely enjoy using your phone.

What's Hurting: Your Thumb

Years ago "BlackBerry thumb" was a big issue because striking the keypad put lots of stress on that finger. Now, even though smartphones have touch screens (which require less pressure), the thumb is still getting its fair share of strain due to overuse, as many people use it to scroll and text.

Correct It: Try your best to mix it up and use other fingers, says Quinn. If you're really feeling pain, consider seeing a doctor, who may recommend a thumb splint to provide support and ease the ache.

What's Hurting: Your Neck

There's a universal texting posture, and it isn't a good one. "I see patients all day because of neck pain due to poor posture—and smartphone usage is contributing to it," says Kenneth K. Hansraj, MD, chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine. In one study, Dr. Hansraj found that looking down at your phone puts roughly 60 pounds of pressure on the spine (compared to about a dozen pounds when you're standing up straight). "Over time, you get tenderness in your neck, and your muscles may start to spasm—eventually, your bones can even start to change," says Dr. Hansraj.

Correct It: Rather than tilting your head down, keep it up and bring your phone higher to meet it. "Some people forget you also have a range of motion with your eyes, and that you can look down without tilting your whole head," adds Dr. Hansraj.

What's Hurting: Your Elbow

Keeping your elbow bent in a flexed position (like when you hold your phone out in front of you) may strain the nerves that pass through the elbow joint, causing pain and tingling that can radiate from there to the hand. Also, many people keep their wrists in a fixed position while texting, which can put extra stress on the muscles of the forearm, says Quinn. Straining those muscles may lead to pain at the elbow and wrist, similar to the pain you'd get with tennis or golf elbow.

Correct It: Switch hands often, especially when you're reading an article that requires you to hold your phone for a long time.

What's Hurting: Your Back

It's not just your head that tilts forward to look at your phone. "When you bend your neck and shoulders forward, the muscles in the front get tighter and the ones in back get weaker, so you're reinforcing a muscle imbalance over time," says Quinn. Result: back pain and tension (and potentially more doctor's visits down the line).

Correct It: Throughout the day, really pay attention to your posture. Stand up straight with your shoulders back and make a conscious effort to resist slouching. "Often, people will wait until they're in a lot of pain before they start making any changes," notes Dr. Hansraj. Also, consider doing yoga to increase flexibility in your spine.

What's Hurting: Your Wrist

Ever heard of "text claw"? It's the slightly disturbing, not-exactly-medical name for the pain you get when your wrists are in a fixed texting position for an extended period. This puts you at risk for straining the tendons and joints in your wrist up to your elbow.

Correct It: Alternate hands when you use your phone—it helps not only your elbow, but also your wrists. Try to do most of your daily work at a desktop or laptop, as many people have better ergonomic setups at their computer (such as wrist pads). If you already have serious wrist pain, you may need a brace to keep the joint in neutral, putting less pressure on the soft tissue structures that may have become inflamed, says Quinn.

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