How your gadgets can harm you

How your gadgets can harm you
Gadgets make life easier, but they also put you at risk of several ailments, warn experts.

You may find it impossible to work without the computer, but it may be doing you more harm than good. While we all use the computer with absolute abandon, very few of us actually stop to consider the health hazards this all-powerful machine poses. Even your cellphone can do much harm to your body. And your favourite gadget, iPod, can give you a deadly ear infection.

Here we bring you some of the ailments that are caused because of gadgets and how you can fight them back.

Wrist-itis
Wrist-itis
Technically, it’s called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which is a condition that develops when you grip anything, or your wrist is flexed for a long time. It has become quite common due to increased use of cellphones, computers and video games.

Besides causing inflammation at the front of the wrist, it puts pressure on the median nerve, causing numbness in the hand and a tendency to drop objects . It can also lead to muscle weakness in the hands.

How to prevent it: The wrist should be extended or bent backwards at the optimal angle or 15 degrees, while holding the cellphone. And while typing, ensure you rest your wrist either on the desk or invest in a keyboard that has a provision for resting your wrist.

How to treat it: An electrical nerve conduction test can diagnose this condition. This is an outpatient procedure where a small current is passed through a nerve (of the wrist) and using a machine, doctors monitor the impulses in that nerve.

Such tests are done at some hospitals. The best treatment for CTS is rest. Use hands-free devices while using cellphones. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), physiotherapy and splinting also helps. The last resort is a minor operation where the tunnel is opened up and the median nerve is freed.
Blackberry Thumb
Blackberry Thumb
This refers to repetitive stress injury around the thumb or trigger thumb. People who use small keypads (texting or playing games on the mobile) tend to overuse the thumb muscles. Excessive pressure is applied by the thumb and the tendons around it gets affected.

The most common manifestation is a sharp click felt on the palmar side of the thumb, (the side which you would use to make a thumb imprint), when flexed. It feels as if the thumb is stuck or as if it’s snapping or clicking when you flex it. A person may also feel a nodule around the thumb which seems to move as he/she straightens the finger or thumb.

How to prevent it: Switch to a touchscreen or cut down on SMSes . Pick up a phone (telephone, not mobile!) and call instead. As for games, you don’t have to play right through your commute.

How to treat it: Rest usually takes care of this. Occasionally, a locally acting steroid injection, targeting the tendon sheath is recommended. 

iPod ear
iPod ear
Earphone and Bluetooth usage often can lead to ear infections. Basically, these devices often pick up bacteria and fungi. When inserted into your ear, the warm moist conditions there result in growth of microbes.

How to prevent it: Clean your earphones and the Bluetooth as well. And don’t share them!

How to treat it: Depending on the condition, ear-drops or antibiotics may be prescribed.

Cellphone neck
Cellphone neck
When you try to balance your mobile between you neck and shoulder, the neck is abused. This causes a lateral deviation of the neck where muscles on one side tend to spasm, resulting in pain.

Over time, it could also lead to degenerative changes, and cervical spondylolysis. However, this neck injury can also be caused by working on your computer for several hours sitting in an incorrect posture.

How to prevent it: Switch to handsfree. When working on your computer, take a stretch-break every 45 minutes. Perform these exercises -- stretch your neck and gently look up at the ceiling, then down to the floor; intertwine fingers of both hands and stretch your arms in front of you. Also, stretch your arms and reach the sky and, of course, the ‘Titanic pose’ wherein you pretty much play Kate Winslet...

How to treat it: Physiotherapy and/or NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
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