Abstract

Background: Smartphones have become an essential part of our life. The frequent smartphone use for communication or internet access causes smartphone addiction that might cause musculoskeletal disorders in the hand, wrist, and thumb. The present study aimed at assessing the association between smartphones and thumb/wrist pain among Umm Al-Qura University students, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among college students at Umm Al-Qura University. A total of 349 persons responded. The data were analyzed using STATA 14.2 software; continuous variables were presented as mean; and SD and intergroup differences were compared using the t-test. Categorical variables were presented as numbers and percentages. Ordinal data were compared using the chi-squared test for trend. Paired binary data were compared using the McNemar test. P-values

Key words: Smartphone addiction, hand pain, thumb, wrist pain.