Cell phones have made our lives much easier in many ways, but they also have plenty of downsides. One downside that doesn’t always get talked about is the physical impact regular cell phone use can have on the body. Dr. Silverman has talked with a number of spine specialists who have noticed an uptick in posture-related spine and neck injuries at their clinic, likely fueled by prolonged cell phone use, but new information suggests that cell phone use may also be linked to more foot and ankle injuries.
According to recent studies on cell phone use in America, an estimated 13,264 cell phone-related lower extremity injuries have been treated at US hospital emergency departments between 2000 and 2023. Lower body injuries account for 35.5% of all cell phone-related injuries affecting various body parts. Research also shows that these types of injuries are occurring at a much more rapid rate, as there were 34 reported injuries between 2000 and 2003, and there were 4,381 reported injuries between 2020 and 2023. Let’s use today’s blog to take a closer look at why we’re seeing a growing number of foot and ankle injuries tied to cell phone use.
Cell Phones And Foot Injuries
Let’s take a closer look at the data and learn more about foot and ankle injuries that are linked to cell phone use. Some of the key findings include:
- The most common reason for a cell phone-related lower body injury is from distracted walking, where an individual is looking down at their phone while walking instead of paying attention to their surroundings. Distracted walking accounted for 64.4% of lower body injuries.
- Cell phone-related lower body injuries were caused by falls 63.1% of the time. Distracted walking and not focusing on our surroundings can greatly increase our risk of a fall.
- 8.3% of injuries were caused by collisions, when people were struck by something else or collided with an object while using their phones. Again, attention is elsewhere.
- 6.4% of injuries involved being struck by a vehicle. It does not elaborate who was using the cell phone at the time, but it underscores the importance of putting your cell phone down when operating a vehicle or when walking where others are driving.
- Women were more likely to suffer a cell phone-related lower body injury than males, and the majority of patients were between 13-39 years old.
- The most common injury was an ankle sprain. Lower body bruises and cuts were also common. More severe injuries typically involved fractures of the foot or ankle.
Although information from the study is a bit limited, there is one clear takeaway point if you want to greatly reduce your risk of suffering a cell phone-related lower body injury (or any type of cell phone-related injury for that matter), and that’s to put your phone down when you’re on the move. If you’re not paying attention to where you’re walking or your surroundings, you’re at a heightened risk for a fall, a collision or of being struck by a vehicle. If you need to check your phone, stop in a safe location, take care of your business and keep moving. Walking and scrolling is a great way to end up in the doctor’s office, so stay off your phone while you’re on the move!
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