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Hold Your Phone Higher: Allowing your head to hang low while texting can place strain on the neck and shoulders, leading to pain and soreness. Instead, hold your phone up higher to allow for a more neutral spine when viewing your phone.
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Use Alternating Fingers: The thumbs often bear the brunt of the force from excessive texting and have led to the repetitive strain injury sometimes referred to as "texting thumb". When possible, use alternating fingers to swipe, scroll, and type.
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Pop Socket: Tight, sustained grip has been implicated in many repetitive strain injuries of the hand and wrist. Use a pop socket, strap, or other attachment to allow for a more relaxed grip on your phone.
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Voice to Text: Constant typing and scrolling can easily wear out the tendons at the base of the thumb, leading to "texting thumb". Where possible, switch to voice commands to give your thumbs a break.
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Use Headphones or Speaker: Holding your phone up with one arm, or worse yet cradling it between your shoulder and ear can strain the neck and shoulder. For lengthy calls especially, make sure to use headphones or speakerphone. If possible, use over the ear headphones instead of earbuds as earbuds tend to not be as good as blocking ambient sounds and so users tend to listen at a higher volume which can damage hearing.
Ergonomics Education - Phone Ergonomics
When working off of your phone is unavoidable, practice these habits to keep your neck and hands relaxed and comfortable.
