Can you injure yourself by simply using your phone? From smartphone pinky to text neck, no one is immune to these types of injuries that are linked to phones. Dr. King said people can develop smartphone pinky by constantly using it to steady their phone. The weight of the device on your pinky can compress a nerve – causing numbness and tingling – or it can even leave a small indentation in the finger. You can also experience something dubbed as text neck if you scroll for too long. That’s when looking down at your phone begins to strain your neck, potentially leading to muscle pain and spasms.