Professor and Director Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Medical Professional Wrist Motion Varies Between Digital Versus Manual Device Use. Lopez MJ1, Wang P<sup>2, Takawira C1, Liu C1. 1Louisiana Statue University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, LA; 2Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA.
Digital device use may contribute to wrist damage. The objective of this study was to quantify wrist radial-ulnar deviation and extension while using digital devices and manual counterparts in dominant and nondominant hands of male and female medical professionals to test the hypothesis that digital device use reduces wrist motion. Three-dimensional medial and lateral wrist motion of 12 medical professionals (29.3 ± 1.33 years, six females, six males) was recorded with an active motion detection system. Subjects performed four tasks: swiping on a tablet, turning book pages; raising a cell and traditional phone to the ear; texting and typing; and entering numbers on a cell phone and manual calculator. Wrist radial-ulnar deviation, flexion-extension, and range of motion (ROM) were measured. Effects of sex, device, and handedness were determined with a mixed ANOVA (P < 0.05). Maximum medial radial deviation and ROM were higher using a cell versus traditional phone, and minimum lateral ulnar deviation angles were less while turning pages versus swiping forward. Maximum medial radial deviation was greater while turning pages versus swiping backward and maximum and minimum medial extension angles and ROM were greater while typing versus texting. There were significant effects of female handedness on typing and texting and of sex on manual and cell phone calculator use. The participant pool limits the findings to a small population. The results of this study indicate that differences in wrist motion between manual and digital devices are affected by sex and handedness, important considerations for device design and recommendations for use.