Saturday, December 13, 2025
ADVT 
Health

'Selfie Elbow' May Be Real Medical Condition

IANS, 05 Jul, 2016 12:07 PM
    Selfie addicts, beware! Constantly takings too many pictures of yourself may cause you to develop a "selfie elbow", doctors have warned.
     
    Like tennis elbow or golfer's elbow, a dedication to selfie-taking is landing people in the doctor's office.
     
    According to Jordan Metzl, a sports medicine physician at Hospital for Special Surgery in the US, the problem is overuse.
     
    Like carpal tunnel and tendinitis, it is the repetitive nature of the task that causes the aches. If you do something enough times - typing, texting, or taking selfies - it is going to have consequences.
     
    "Basically, the interface between technology and the human body sometimes causes injuries of over-exuberance," Metzl said.
     
    "We used to see it with Blackberry phones - it was a real thing. People would get tendinitis in their thumb because they were on their Blackberries all the time," he said.
     
    "You put too much stress on the muscle and it irritates the area where the muscle comes off the bone and you get this inflammatory response," said Metzl.
     
     
    He advises switching arms for balancing the burden, or using painkillers.
     
    There is a rising concern about the increase in tech injuries in teens, 'Elle.com' reported.
     
    Gaming, using Snapchat, selfie-taking, texting and tweeting, teens are more prone to overuse injuries than ever before.
     
    "In recent years we've been seeing an increase in carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis from overuse in teens, where 10 to 15 years ago it was mostly scraped knees and falling off a bike," said Charles Kim, a musculoskeletal rehab specialist at Rusk Rehabilitation at New York University Langone Medical Centre.
     
    Kim suggests a selfie stick for the dedicated documenters - which works like an arm extender and takes the pressure off the elbow.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Health Care Not Doing Enough To Help Canadians Who Have Damaged Hearts: Report

    Health Care Not Doing Enough To Help Canadians Who Have Damaged Hearts: Report
    A new report says more needs to be done to help a growing number of Canadians who are living with damaged hearts.

    Health Care Not Doing Enough To Help Canadians Who Have Damaged Hearts: Report

    How One Sugary Drink Daily Boosts India's Death Rate

    How One Sugary Drink Daily Boosts India's Death Rate
    Sugar-sweetened beverages account for every one in 200 deaths caused by IndiaÂ’s rising tide of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, according to a 2015 study.

    How One Sugary Drink Daily Boosts India's Death Rate

    Washington Man Identified As Victim Of Skiing Accident In Rossland, B.C.

    Washington Man Identified As Victim Of Skiing Accident In Rossland, B.C.
    A man who died after a skiing accident in British Columbia's Kootenay region has been identified as a 49-year-old man from Washington state.

    Washington Man Identified As Victim Of Skiing Accident In Rossland, B.C.

    'Zika Virus Poses Only 'Very Low' Threat To Canada' - 5 Things You need To Know

    'Zika Virus Poses Only 'Very Low' Threat To Canada' -  5 Things You need To Know
    Dr. Gregory Taylor says there have been four recent cases in Canada — two in British Columbia, one in Alberta and a newly disclosed case in Quebec, all of them involving people who recently travelled to affected areas.

    'Zika Virus Poses Only 'Very Low' Threat To Canada' - 5 Things You need To Know

    How App Helped Rural Indian Women Use Modern Contraceptives

    How App Helped Rural Indian Women Use Modern Contraceptives
    "This shows that mobile technology provides an innovative and dynamic platform for social and behaviour change communication," Velu said.

    How App Helped Rural Indian Women Use Modern Contraceptives

    Canadian Blood Services To Defer Donations From Travellers To Zika-Endemic Areas

    Canadian Blood Services will soon refuse blood donations from those who have travelled to countries where the mosquito-borne Zika virus has become widespread.

    Canadian Blood Services To Defer Donations From Travellers To Zika-Endemic Areas