Exploring The Link between Smartphone Use and De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis: A Focus on Ergonomic Influences

Abstract

Over the past decade, smartphones have become an essential part of everyday life, providing convenient access to communication, internet browsing, entertainment, and gaming.(1) In Pakistan, approximately 193.4 million cellular mobile connections were reported during 2023–2024, corresponding to more than 75% of the country’s population(2). The widespread and prolonged use of smartphones and other touchscreen devices often involves holding the device with one or both hands below eye level, maintaining a forward-flexed or downward-tilted head position, and repeatedly operating the screen predominantly with the thumb(3). Such sustained exposure to awkward postures and repetitive hand and thumb movements has been associated with an increased risk of musculoskeletal discomfort and overuse-related disorders. Among these conditions, De Quervain’s disease is a common repetitive strain disorder characterized by stenosing tenosynovitis involving the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis tendons within the first dorsal compartment of the wrist(4).