I had ‘smartphone pinky,’ but these 7 tricks helped me stop the pain

I’m no stranger to aches and pains from using my tech devices for long periods. But when my colleague Andy wrote about his experience with “smartphone pinky,” that’s when I realized how many people are familiar with the pain of balancing your smartphone on your little finger.

Sometimes this pain is felt in the knuckles of your pinky, but it may also radiate down your hand and wrist. With smartphones getting larger displays and bigger batteries, the problem is likely to become more widespread.

The good news is that you don’t have to deal with the pain and tingling sensations; there are a few things you can do about it. Here are some of the different techniques I’ve tried over the years to reduce my smartphone pinky pain.

While most of my tips focus on preventing the painful sensation in the first place, what do you do when you’re already there? After all, most of us only notice that something is causing strain once we’re in pain.

The good news is that there are a variety of stretches you can try to alleviate smartphone pinky. The exact stretch that works best for you will depend on your symptoms and the area of discomfort. For me, balancing my smartphone on my pinky for extended periods can irritate my ulnar nerve, especially around the wrist. So, I focus on wrist stretches like the ones provided by Medical News Today to see which ones bring me relief.

I also experience cramping along the palm of my hand along the pinky bone. In these cases, I will gently massage the muscles, which helps.

However, if you are experiencing severe pain, I would recommend consulting a physiotherapist or doctor to see what else could be contributing to the issue. If you are experiencing swelling, for example, this could point to something else.

Now, let’s talk about prevention. To alleviate smartphone pinky, you need to find ways to support your phone’s weight without straining your wrist or fingers.

Even though smartphone usage in bed is discouraged in every article I’ve read about falling asleep more quickly, the reality is that I need to use my phone to calm my mind. As a result, I spend a significant chunk of time using it while lying in bed.

But this was also one of the times I would notice more strain on my pinky and wrist from holding my device. I found that resting my phone on my pillow and using a blanket to support my arm significantly reduced this strain.

This works because I have a large and firm ergonomic pillow, so there’s enough space for my head and to balance my phone. If you have a smaller pillow, I recommend balancing your phone or wrist on a stuffed animal, a secondary pillow, or a spare blanket.

There’s something about using a phone with two hands that makes me feel self-conscious — kind of like a person who types on a keyboard with only their index fingers. But you know what? Holding my phone with two hands when typing actually helps a lot with preventing pinky pain.

The reason is simple: rather than balancing the weight of my phone on an overused joint, I’m spreading it out across two hands. I still primarily use my right-hand thumb for navigating, typing, and scrolling, but I use my left hand to help support my device.

If I know I’ll be using my phone for an extended period, I’ll use a pillow to support my wrist, forearm, and elbow. I usually do this when having coffee outside with my cats in the morning, which is also the time I spend catching up on emails and playing Pokémon Go.

In the evenings, when watching TV, I also use one of my throw pillows for support while playing Pokémon Go or responding to lots of messages.

This habit initially started as a way to prevent bending my neck too far down for long periods, since I have chronic migraines and neck pain. But I found that it also helped the strain in my hand from holding my phone for long periods.

Now, I did say I fixed my hand pain without giving up my phone — and that’s true. But heavier phones definitely affect the pain I feel from smartphone pinky, which I realized when reviewing different devices.

As a result, I keep this factor in mind when deciding what to use as my primary device. It also now informs part of my decision when I look at phones I’m interested in buying.

I wouldn’t say a phone being lightweight is an essential smartphone feature for me, but it’s definitely on my radar. If you’re getting a lot of pain from using your smartphone and tricks like using additional support aren’t working for you, it’s time to consider investing in a lighter smartphone the next time you upgrade.

This isn’t one of my favorite solutions, but it is one that can work if you enjoy PopSockets and other phone grips. Accessories like these help you hold your phone differently so you don’t put so much weight on your pinky.

I’ve seen plenty of variations out there, including rings, straps, and sliding grips. I’ve found that they can definitely change the way you hold your phone. I’ve just never stuck with one as a permanent solution because I prefer my phone to have minimal cover accessories.

There came a point where part of my bedtime routine included watching YouTube videos for background noise. I also used to love browsing music videos on my phone. However, I started noticing that this contributed to the pain I felt in my pinky.

Nowadays, if I plan to watch anything longer than five minutes, I switch to another device. That means I now use my laptop instead of my phone to watch YouTube in bed. If I’m sitting on my couch, I’ll cast to my TV and watch the video there instead of on my phone. And if I’m outside, I’ll wait until I’m at my PC to watch the video.

Alternatively, if I don’t have access to a secondary display, like on a plane, I’ll use a phone stand. If you spend a lot of time watching videos on your phone, then it’s worth investing in a stand you can use or maybe switching to a secondary device.

Of course, many people will also suggest using your phone less in general. While this is viable in some contexts, the reality is that a lot of us use our phones to work, unwind, and stay connected.

If you are experiencing the telltale signs of smartphone pinky, then try out a few of these tips to see if you can alleviate the discomfort. If there are areas where you can cut down smartphone usage, try that out as well.

But if you’re experiencing pain during normal use, consider switching up how you hold your phone and how you support your wrist. It really can make a difference.