Smartphone-Related Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Scoliosis, and Turtle Neck Pain

Hello. This is Imiisuk Thema Dermatology Clinic.

Korea has the world’s highest smartphone penetration rate, and if you look around on the subway or in coffee shops, most people are looking at their smartphones. As smartphones have become an essential part of daily life, they are threatening the health of the spine and joints not only of teenagers but of people of all ages.

Turtle Neck

Each time the head bends forward 1 cm to look at a smartphone, the cervical spine bears a load of 2 to 3 kg. A posture of looking down at a smartphone for long periods puts great strain on the neck and can lead to turtle neck syndrome. Turtle neck syndrome is a condition in which the head becomes hunched forward like a turtle, placing continuous overload on the back of the neck and shoulders and causing headaches and pain in the shoulder area. In people with turtle neck syndrome, the load on the neck can reach up to 15 kg. As a result, stiffness and pain develop in the back of the neck and shoulders. If left untreated for a long time, there is a high risk that it will progress into chronic pain, and the condition can become severe enough to make daily life difficult.

Scoliosis

Sitting for long periods in a hunched posture can cause scoliosis, in which the spine curves. When viewed from the front or back, the spine should be straight, and when viewed from the side, it should form a gentle S curve. But when scoliosis develops, the spine twists and bends into an S or C shape when viewed from the front or back. Many people think scoliosis appears only in adolescence or young people, but bad habits from younger years can continue, leading to spinal deformity in middle age after the 40s.

Prevention of Turtle Neck & Scoliosis

To prevent conditions that can be caused by smartphones, it is best to avoid keeping your head bent downward for long periods. Your posture should also be upright with your shoulders open and your head held straight. Be sure to rest for about 10 minutes every hour, and whenever you have a chance, rotate your neck and shoulders forward, backward, left, and right to stretch them. In addition, doing full-body exercise such as walking or calisthenics for at least 30 minutes a day can help prevent scoliosis.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

When stress builds up due to prolonged use of the fingers or wrist, it can lead to hand pain and develop into carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the tunnel in the wrist, formed by bones and ligaments, becomes narrower or the internal pressure increases, compressing the nerves going to the fingertips and causing numbness or paralysis-like symptoms. In the early stage, the pain is not severe, so it does not place much burden on daily life and is easy to ignore. However, as time passes, you may not be able to feel the texture of objects even when holding them, or you may drop things while gripping them. If the thumb, index finger, and middle finger are mainly numb, and if you cannot touch the thumb to the other fingers, you may suspect the condition.

Prevention of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

To prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, above all, you should avoid keeping your wrist bent for long periods so that the carpal tunnel is not compressed. In particular, when using a smartphone, make sure your wrist is not angled and do not use it for more than 30 minutes in a fixed hand position. When your fingers feel stiff, repeatedly clench your fist tightly and then slowly release it over 5 seconds; this also helps with prevention.

Smartphones are now indispensable in our lives, so it is difficult not to use them. However, because long-term use can harm our health, let’s try to build the habit of taking breaks from time to time!