‘Smart pain’ on rise among phone users

With the introduction of smartphones, people are now filling spare moments working, Web searching, blogging or playing mobile games.

However, some smartphone users may face an unexpected side effect pain in their fingers and wrist.

Lee Kyung-joon, a 37-year-old businessman, started using his iPhone a few months ago. Recently, he started feeling numbness in his palm when playing mobile games for more than 30 minutes.

“At first I thought I was affected by the electric current. However, after consultations with a doctor, I found that the long periods of cellphone usage put pressure on my wrist,” he said.

Doctors say the number of people who complain about similar symptoms has been growing recently and some severe cases develop Carpal tunnel syndrome, which used to be more common among workers on assembly lines.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers, as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move.