As technology trends, smartphones have become an important part of our lives, controlling each and every act of our day. We are influxing to smartphone addiction that at times we even forget the harms to which we are exposing ourselves on a daily basis. 

There is no doubt in the fact that we are closer and more dependent on our phones than anyone else. It has become our all-in-one package letting us do almost all of our tasks in only one click. Smartphones make our lives easier in the following ways:

  • Connecting us with our friends and family
  • Listening to music
  • Watching TV show or videos
  • Reading newspaper
  • Pocket business manager
  • Your electronic wallet and many more.

Where we have 24/7 instantly available benefits from using smartphones its harmful effects cannot be ignored. According to the technology news, although not noticed much, they can cause long-term damages, common among them all is smartphone addiction as the root cause. Following are some injuries related to smartphones.

1. Texting thumb:

While using a smartphone, the front border soldier is usually the thumb. Funny to think as that, but actually true! The repeated clicking and texting, scrolling or adjusting, all lays on the weak shoulders of thumbs.

The repeated movements of thumbs may cause serious problems like thumbs arthritis or tendonitis, which is the severe inflammation and swelling of the tissues and nerves of the thumb. It may cause severe pain and immobility unless you give it a rest or get it checked to a doctor, or else think about dropping that smartphone addiction of yours.    

2. Carpal tunnel syndrome:

Your hands are not a simple collection of tissues and blood but a complex, compartmentalized, well-designed, and interlinked infrastructure with each part carefully planned by The Creator to perform the complex movement of your hand. This is something no technology trend can ever create.

Even to lift a finger numerous structures in your hands need to be moved to perform that small task. And using the smartphone continuously may cause overexertion of the nerves.

One of the main nerves of the hand; the Median nerve; when overstretched or pressed upon can lead to severe wrist pain and carpal tunnel syndrome (because the median nerve passes through this tunnel). If not treated, this may cause long-term problems. So better take precautions before than suffering after! 

3. Text elbow:

Smartphones are not only about wrists. Elbow and forearm pain is often involved too!

Just like a compression syndrome of the wrist, your elbows suffer too from holding your phone at 90 degrees for long hours. 

Whenever you feel numbness or excruciating pain on the outer border of your arm, don’t take it lightly. Like the Median Nerve, compression of the Ulnar Nerve in the Cubital Fossa can cause the Cubital Tunnel syndrome.  

4. Eye problems:

Although spending long hours on phones and watching mesmerizing content, social media posts or videos is fun but unhealthy for your eyes. We become so focused on screens while using phones that we often forget to blink.

 This smartphone addiction can cause blinking less which leads to dust accumulations and dryness with itching and redness and believe me you definitely don’t want that.

Not only this but nonstop scrolling and using it also makes your eyes more prone to infections and eyesight issues.

So next time you believe that using a phone is harmless for your eyes. Think again!!

5. Posture problems:

Smartphones and postures are inversely related. You cannot expect both to give you positive results at the same time. 

According to a study, most of the diseases of the musculoskeletal system are caused by the continuous use of smartphones and other related systems. 

Using a phone while walking, causes increased pressure on the scapular muscles and neck leading to neck stiffness and strains and using them while laying with stupid postures in bed damages your lumbar and sacral regions, leaving behind intense back pain.

Surely you don’t want that for yourself.

6. Radiation damage:

Of all the cons of smartphones, radiation-damaged is the most undermined. Prolong usage results in the increased absorption of harmful radiations emitted by the phones.

These radiations increase the body temperatures and have serious effects on CNS like headaches and vertigo. Thinking of the extreme cases, it may also lead to brain tumors.

7. Neck issues:

This is more commonly known as text neck and is a leading problem with smartphones and other wireless devices due to smartphone addiction. Using devices with a bent neck puts too much pressure on the muscles and ligaments. 

Again a posture-related issue! Once it occurs it is a lifetime thing to deal with and you surely won’t want to go around wearing a collar all the time. Hence, be careful with this when the time is in your pocket.

How to avoid these injuries?

These problems can be irritating and frustrating at times so it is better to avoid them beforehand. Here are some ways to deal with these injuries:

  • Using the phone with short intervals
  • Keeping the brightness low to prevent eye problems
  • Performing exercises to increase the blood flow to your hand 
  • Using a phone at a distance from your eyes
  • Using large font for texts
  • Maintaining right posture

These ways may not completely shield you from such injuries but may lessen their effects. As you might have heard “Prevention is better than cure.”

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A word to the wise:

It is an undeniable fact that smartphones are an important part of our lives. We cannot expect to function accurately without them. The first thing each and every one of us do after waking up each morning is to check their phone but this is also a fact that excess of everything is bad. And now this is up to us how we manage a balance between both things; to keep our lives going and staying healthy.