Hand injuries associated with mobile phone use: A systematic review.
Savannah C Braud, Melinda J Choi, Kyle Y Xu and 1 others
PMID 41885377WHAT IT FOUND
Review of 42 studies found hand conditions linked to phone use: De Quervain's tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, thumb or wrist pain, and less common tendon rupture or trigger finger.
Evidence includes cross-sectional studies and case reports, so phone use alone cannot be proven a cause.
Key findings
01The review included 42 studies and grouped hand conditions into inflammatory, nerve pathology, pain, and other categories.
02De Quervain's tenosynovitis was the most common inflammatory condition, and carpal tunnel syndrome was the most common nerve pathology.
03Findings were mixed: one study reported a 29.2% increase in carpal tunnel syndrome symptom risk when mobile phone usage increased by one hour, while a prospective study of 1691 students found no significant dose-response relationship between smartphone use duration and musculoskeletal symptoms.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The included studies used different designs, populations and outcome measures, so the findings are not comparable enough to support a single clear effect. Few studies followed participants over time, so long-term consequences of phone use are not established. The review includes cross-sectional studies and case reports, which can describe associations or individual cases but cannot prove that phone use caused the hand condition. Some results conflict: one study linked addiction scores to positive Finkelstein test, while another did not. The review excluded elbows, shoulders, neck and upper back data, so it says nothing about those injuries.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat this review as proof that mobile phone use caused the reported hand conditions. The evidence includes cross-sectional studies and case reports, and the review does not establish how much phone use alone contributed.