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BY JESSICA SEGOVIA-YAP
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Smartphone-related injuries
THE WORLD has gone tech-savvy and worse. It has been estimated that come 2018 there will be 2.53 billion smartphone users in the world and 47 percent of the 7.3 billion inhabitants in the whole world are internet users.
Local statistics shows 43.5 percent of Filipinos in 2016 have accessed the internet on a regular basis. Millennials (18 to 32 years old) have the longest internet usage of almost five hours per day using the tablet or laptop / personal computer and three hours using smart phones. This is followed by teens (16 to 19 years old), Gen X (33 to 52) and the Boomers (53 to 64). Although children and adolescents were not included in the statistics, we cannot deny the fact that they, too, are regular users.
With this substantial amount of time being spent on these gadgets, we are bound to develop injuries associated with its use. This week, I will be discussing gadget injuries that can seriously affect your future.
The most harmful effect, of course, is when you use smartphones while walking into oncoming traffic or while driving (thus the Anti-Distracted Driving Law). And even if we can avoid these stupid and even fatal smartphone accidents, simply using it on regular or extended periods will take a toll in our bodies and could cause a number of injuries.
The writer feels guilty as well as I have become too dependent on my smartphone and I go into panic mode whenever it is not within reach. Stopping the use of our phones, however, is close to impossible, we have to admit. But hopefully this article could shed some light and somehow convince us to modify our ways to prevent future pains and permanent injuries.
The following have been the recognized injuries divided as to those affecting our eyes, our hands and arms, and our torso, especially our backs and necks.
Eye injuries include dry eyes and eye damage to the point of blindness.
Dry eyes can occur when we get so engrossed looking at the screen with whatever it is we are watching or reading that we forget to blink. Yes my dears, by not blinking as often as possible, our eyes get dry, producing poor quality tears which lead to irritation and unnecessary eye strain. How to remedy this? Just blink! And blink frequently.
Worse than that, however, is the possibility of blindness. This could come about because smartphones use blue light. Blue light reaches deep into the eyes up to the retina and causes damage, putting you at greater risk of macular degeneration, an age-related irreversible cause of blindness. So its effect is directly proportional: the longer you are exposed to blue light, the higher the risk of macular degeneration when you get older.
What to do about this?
Aside from limiting your smartphone use, turn down the brightness of your screens, enlarge the text font size, refrain from continuous use of your gadgets by taking frequent breaks and avoid using your phone in the dark because the blue light absorption is increased.
Other injuries related to prolonged smartphone use involves the hands and arms, neck and back. Funny names were concocted to denote these injuries: smartphone pinky, text claw, cellphone elbow and tech neck. Although the names may sound funny, believe me, the effects are real.
Smartphone pinky as claimed, results from handling too big phones or tablets, no need to mention the brands, go figure. It causes temporary bent or deformed pinky fingers. Although hand surgeons refute this and they say it might be caused by another condition, it is important that when you notice or feel pain in your fingers, have them checked. And do I need to emphasize that maybe it would help if you stop holding those giants phones for long periods of time?
Text claw is a term coined to describe pain and cramping in your fingers due to repetitive strain injury. Although it may not be entirely smartphone-specific, it could still be a big factor. How to fix this? Again, limit the use of your smartphones as well as by doing stretching exercises, massage of and immobilization of the affected fingers.
Texting thumb results from too much texting, tapping and forceful phone gripping with your thumbs. The result? Painful popping and snapping when the thumb bends and straightens. If this goes on, this will eventually lead to painful arthritis. How to fix this? Don’t text with your thumb alone, alternate texting with the fingers, too.
Cellphone elbow is medically termed Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. It is manifested by aching, burning, numbness or tingling in your inner forearm or hand. It is caused by nerve compression in the upper extremities. Treatment may consist of modifying your activities or avoiding activities that aggravate the condition. So try to switch hands frequently while using your phone or better yet, use hands free headset.
Tech neck is the strain that your neck feels when you angle your head down to check on your phone. Tilting your head down at a certain angle puts a corresponding amount of force on the neck leading to a strain. So as simple as holding your phone as close to eye level as possible will relieve you of that strain.
Back pain, a very common complaint nowadays, even in the younger age group, results from bad posture. It is indirectly related to cellphone use since we are often slouching, slumping and hunching over our gadgets. To avoid this, all we have to do is practice good posture! Straighten your back as much as possible.
So there you go! I hope that somehow this article could serve as a warning and have been helpful to all of us. It would not hurt (literally) to do everything especially using your smartphones and gadgets, in moderation.
Jessica P. Segovia-Yap, M.D., FPAFP is a Diplomate and Fellow of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians. She is a practicing Family Medicine Specialist and holds clinic at the Medical Arts Building of Iloilo Mission Hospital. She can be reached through drjec.is.in@gmail.com./PN
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