THE MORPHOLOGY OF A SMARTPHONOPATHIC HAND

Abstract

Ever since the devise of internet and handheld gadgets, the world has become a global village. Among these handheld devices, smartphones have taken the world by storm and their usage has boomed in the last decade or so. Several studies have reported anatomical changes (such as enlarged median nerve) and reduced grip strength in the wrist and hand of smartphone user. Objectives included measurement and comparison of the grip strength and median nerve cross-sectional area (MN-CSA) between dominant and non-dominant hands of smartphone users, and, to evaluate, measure and compare the anatomical changes in the fifth digit of dominant and non-dominant hands of smartphone users. Hundred and twenty-eight health sciences students were selected aging from 17-25 years. By using the smartphone addiction scale (SAS), the participants were divided into two groups: low-smartphone users and high-smartphone users. Details of the smartphone (weight, screen size) were collected from a reliable smartphone website (GSMArena). Grip strength was measured using a hand dynamometer. Ultrasound of both hands of each individual was done at the distal crease of the wrist to evaluate the median nerve cross-sectional area (MN-CSA). X-Ray (finger PA) was done of both hands. Median value of SAS scores of the 128 participants was 114.5 (>114.5 were classified as high-smartphone users; <114.5 were classified as low-smartphone users). Results demonstrated that the difference between the MN-CSAs of dominant and non dominant hand of the high-smartphone group was highly significant (p=0.007). The difference between the MN-CSAs of dominant and non-dominant hand of the low smartphone group was significant too (p=0.0103). The mean grip strength in the dominant hand of the high-smartphone group was 28.7 kg while in the low-smartphone group it was 29.5 kg. It can be concluded that smartphone over use resulted in an enlarged median nerve, especially in the dominant hand. It can lead to reduced grip strength of the dominant ix hand in individuals with excessive smartphone use and might also lead to carpal tunnel syndrome