Today in TechTäglich: “From time to time type while standing, because that’s less strenuous for your thumb than sitting down” – on the occasion of “Day of the Hand” this is one of the tips against pain from the cell phone thumb.
Tip-tips: This helps against cell phone thumbs
On average, people in Germany use their smartphones for around four hours a day. For the thumb (or thumbs) who have to tirelessly tap on the screen, this means maximum stress – which our hands are not made for at all. The mobile phone thumb has therefore long been a medically recognized phenomenon, from which young users, in particular, are increasingly suffering. Thomas Brockamp from the Society for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery (DGOU) explains on the occasion of “Day of the Hand” on March 1st: “Overexertion due to too frequent stretching and spreading of the thumb causes pain on the thumb side of the wrist. This is caused by tendonitis and is particularly noticeable when the thumb is used for typing.” But as Golem reports, Tips from the DGOU against cell phone thumbs.
The five best tips against the cell phone thumb
- Better to use both thumbs than one to ease the strain
- Build in breaks and stretching exercises if you use your smartphone for a long time
- From time to time type while standing, because that is less tiring for the thumb than sitting dow
- Send voice messages instead of text for a change
- When writing while sitting, put your forearm on it if possible, this reduces the strain
And how do you know that you are already more or less suffering from a cell phone thumb? Typically, the pain is aggravated by placing the thumb in the palm of the hand and bending the hand toward the little finger.
