Wrong Mobile ‘Grip’ Can Lead to Serious Hand Disorders, Warn Chinese Doctors

Lhasa – How do you hold your mobile phone? Do you grip it firmly in your palm, or do you support it from below with your little finger? If you are among those who have the habit of using your little finger to prop up the phone from underneath, be warned — Chinese doctors have cautioned that this habit can cause serious problems to the hand and nerves.

According to doctors at Zhongshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, the habit of supporting the phone from below with the little finger over a prolonged period can lead to discomfort and pain in the hand, nerves and joints. The main reason is that when using this grip, the bulk of the phone’s weight is concentrated on the joint of the little finger. This subjects the little finger, the hand and the nerves to repeated strain and pressure over an extended period.

This can give rise to a range of hand-related disorders. For instance, tendonitis (inflammation of the tendons), tenosynovitis (inflammation of the tendon and its sheath), arthritis (inflammation of the joints) and carpal tunnel syndrome (compression of the nerve in the palm). All of these can lead to issues such as finger pain, stiffening of the joints, reduced coordination of the hand, and even deformity of the finger. If this poor habit is not corrected in time, the damage could become irreversible, the doctors warn.