SynthesisEuropean journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie2025
The impact of handheld devices on the wrist and thumb: a systematic review.
Synthesis in European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Hand injuries associated with mobile phone use: A systematic review.Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2026Pooled it
- Smartphone addiction, thumb-wrist symptoms, and first extensor compartment ultrasonographic findings in young adults: a multicentre prospective study with six-month follow-up.International orthopaedics · 2026Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeHandheld devices play a substantial role in our daily activities. This systematic review aims to identify the potential harmful implications with the use of hand held devices on the wrist and thumb.
methodsWe performed a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) systematic review of the existing literature. PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Library were utilised. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies-of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool, and the quality of evidence was evaluated using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria.
resultsFifteen articles were retrieved. Sending an average of 55 or more texts per day is associated with an increased risk of developing pain and tendinopathy. There was no correlation between the number of hours spent using a handheld device and development of carpal tunnel syndrome; however, the impact on thumb function varied.
conclusionSeveral limitations exist in the current literature; however, our review outlines the potential adverse implications that handheld devices may have on the wrist and thumb. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III:
Indexed as
Identifiers
40690021What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.