Phone Ergonomics

Posture

Well, there are some obvious posture issues with people using their phones such as the neck stooped forward and there are less obvious ones such as wrist extension. When people hold a phone with one hand they typically use their non-dominant hand. This hand is typically holding the phone with either a pinch grip or a relaxed power grip (one to which the palm of the hand is touching the phone). The pinch grip puts greater pressure on our wrists and is not considered ergonomically safe. As far as posture goes, we want to keep the wrist straight and avoid this wrist from bending back (wrist extension) or up when in handshake position (radial deviation). These two positions if held constant with even the weight of the phone involved can lead to wrist issues.

Screen positioning

The height of the screen if low enough will cause the neck to tilt down. When we are sedentary, our gaze angles of our eyes already come naturally down to 20 degrees below our horizontal so bringing them down to 45 degrees is not an issue. It is when the phone is lower than your elbow and close that it becomes a significant issue.

Text size and font

Depending on your screen size and vision you can adjust font and text size to discourage your neck from coming forward. The recommended distance between the eyes and the phone screen is going to be 8 inches to 14 inches away from the eyes; distances further than that would encourage neck protraction.   

Typing

It is also a good idea to hold the phone with one hand and type with the other. That is best and using two thumbs is better than one. Stretching every 30 minutes for just 2-3 minutes is a must. It helps recover the constant awkward flexion of muscles. Use an external keyboard if continuously using the phone for more than 30 minutes involving texting, typing, or emails.

Use of supports and accessories

There are also keyboards and phone stands that allow you to rest your phone in a slanted position which eliminate awkward clenching and postures. In your car, it is not only unsafe, but an ergonomic risk to text while driving. The use of pop-caps can help reduce clenching and prolonged awkward wrist postures. If you have further concerns consult your local ergonomics professional for an in person ergonomic consultation or have one done virtually.