Could handheld electronic devices contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome?

In a study of 48 university students, intensive users of electronic devices reported more wrist/hand pain than non-intensive users.

Intensive users also showed signs of effects on the median nerve within the carpal tunnel and the transverse carpal ligament, resulting in numbness, tingling, and pain in the hand.

The findings indicate that caution may be warranted when using handheld electronic devices, in order to minimize the chance of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

"Our prior work identified that out of 500 students, 54% (245/451) of intensive users and 12% (6/49) of non-intensive users reported musculoskeletal symptoms in relation to use of electronic devices. We randomly selected 48 students using stratified sampling from the intensive and non-intensive users for further investigation and our results showed that excessive use of electronic devices may be linked to a greater risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome," said Dr. Peter White, co-author of the Muscle & Nerve study.

"Therefore, vigilance in educating and monitoring young people using electronic devices is important, especially children and adolescents as they are less capable of self-regulating."