Smartphone pinky — How smartphones shape our fingers

Social media users shared images of their pinky fingers, attributing them to prolonged phone use, and expressed concerns.

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Know everything about the smartphone pinky and how to avoid it

It’s time to check our “Phone form” and ease some pressure off our little pinky finger. Technology’s evolution has revolutionised our ways of commuting and socialising, but is it also reshaping our bodies? A new term floating around the internet, “Smartphone Pinky,” has sparked discussions.

So, what exactly is a Smartphone Pinky?

It occurs when individuals support their smartphone’s base with the inner border of their pinky finger, while the remaining fingers brace the back of the phone, and the thumb interacts with the screen.

But is this a health issue?

Some users shared images of their pinky fingers, attributing them to prolonged phone use, and expressed concerns. Yet, health experts dismiss it as a genuine medical condition. According to the New York Post, Dr Peter Evans, an orthopedic surgeon at Cleveland Clinic, explained that indents or gaps on pinky fingers don’t necessarily indicate a problem. “They show typical pinky anatomy, which can vary widely,” he said. 

“It’s also possible that people who think they have smartphone pinky could have an underlying condition,” Dr Evans added. “Constant cellphone use can cause a range of joint problems. While some claims of injury might be overstated, others are real and involve serious, long-term damage,” he said.

Dr Evans also emphasised that there is no indication smartphone use contributes to the latter. But he warned of a few phone-related medical conditions that can arise. 

The risks of phone-related health issues: 

While Dr Evans debunked the Smartphone pinky, he highlighted: “smartphone elbow” – also known as cubital tunnel syndrome as a genuine concern.  He explained that tingling or numbness in your pinky could be an underlying reason for the condition known to cause nerve damage which happens to people who bend their elbows beyond 90 degrees in long durations while using their smartphones. 

Those long hours of doomscrolling on social media platforms and gazing down at your smartphones can seriously strain neck muscles, causing pain and spasms. Dr Evans even warned that the thumb joints aren’t made to swipe all day. He said, “Overuse can worsen underlying conditions, like arthritis, or cause new problems in the thumb tendons.”

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This article was first uploaded on May seventeen, twenty twenty-four, at zero minutes past ten in the morning.
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