Photo by Tony Valainis / Indianapolis Monthly
Q: If your patients were to take only one piece of advice to heart, what would you want it to be? A: Put your phone down.
“IN THE LAST 10 to 20 years, we have had a ton of technological breakthroughs as far as our use of and reliance on smart devices. With the global pandemic, more people have gone to working at home, and sometimes their ergonomic stations are not great. Texting has largely replaced having a phone conversation with someone. And the amount of time we spend in front of our smart devices can cause a lot of problems. It affects posture—you’re bending over. You’re going to have neck and shoulder pain and develop problems with overuse-type syndromes. We see patients with tendonitis, joint swelling, and even nerve compression issues like carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel. One specific condition, De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, is a tendonitis that happens on the thumb side of the wrist. It’s just that repetitive movement of texting with your thumbs, spreading your hand around while you’re gripping your phone using your thumb. I also believe our constant use of devices takes away from getting outside, being active, and making sure you’re taking care of your overall physical and mental health.”
— Christy Kellams, M.D.
Hand and upper extremity surgeon with OrthoIndy
