WhatsAppitis
That is why cell phones and smartphones can make you sick
How to use the smartphone correctly? It is better to type with two thumbs than with one.
© ImYanis / Shutterstock.com
Have you heard of “cell phone thumbs” or “WhatsAppitis”? Anyone who feels pain in their wrist could spend too much time on their smartphone.
Life without a smartphone? Many younger people in particular find it difficult to imagine this. It is always there and helps to keep in touch with loved ones and friends, for example during the corona pandemic. The use of messenger services such as WhatsApp, Signal or Threema is an absolute must for many. But with excessive use, users can also endanger their health.
How much do the Germans type?
The vast majority of users in Germany who own a smartphone use messenger apps. According to a recent survey by the industry association Bitkom among 1,003 people aged 16 and over, 88 percent also use a messenger. That corresponds to around 50 million citizens. In the age group of 16 to 29 year olds, 100 percent stated that they use such services – among 30 to 49 year olds 96 percent. Even among 50 to 64 year olds it is 88 percent and among those 65 and over it is 45 percent.
According to an extrapolation based on another survey from January, more than 810 million short messages are received every day on smartphones and cell phones from German users aged 16 and over. In 2021 it is projected to be around 300 billion. A user receives an average of 13 messages a day. 25 percent of the users stated that they received more than 20 short messages every day.
What is “WhatsAppitis”?
As early as 2018, experts reported a new disease of civilization called “WhatsAppitis” – or “cell phone thumb”. This is an overuse of the thumb through the excessive use of a smartphone – for example through the frequent use of messenger apps and social media platforms. Actually, the thumb should help the hand grip. Closing a fist is, for example, a typical movement, “but not a stretching or splaying movement in the long term”, according to a message from the Leipzig University Hospital from mid-2018. At that time, the number of young patients was already increasing.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Langer, Head of Plastic, Aesthetic and Special Hand Surgery at the Clinic for Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery and Plastic Surgery at the Leipzig University Hospital, explains further: “When using the smartphone with one hand, the thumb is overstrained.” A “continued thumb movement in the direction of the little finger is strenuous and leads to pain in the wrist on the thumb side.” In contrast to before, a typical patient is now still young – around 15 to 25 years old.
How can “WhatsAppitis” be treated?
For example, a cortisone injection could be given to an older woman, but this would be problematic for younger people. “I can’t give cortisone to the young cell phone user with a clear conscience: the patient or the tendon has their whole life ahead of them,” says Langer. Later “real medical problems” could arise, for which treatment with cortisone could then become “indispensable”. In addition, there is not really a reason for an operation. Langer: “I can only advise young patients: leave out the cell phone. With a little patience, the pain will subside after a week.”
“I advise cell phone users to use both thumbs at the same time,” says occupational therapist and physiotherapist Norina Weisenbilder. For example, the thumbs on the smartphone display would have to cover shorter distances, “they are not overstretched. And in general, playing around on the phone should stay within limits. Then the thumb won’t hurt either.”