‘Text Neck,’ ‘Text Thumb Injury’ Common Smartphone Ailments

There have been an increasing number of cases of smartphone users suffering various strain ailments related to using their devices.

Experts from Britain warned heavy smartphone users who are suffering strain injuries due to overuse of their devices such ranging from "text neck" to "text thumb injury". These ailments can be due to spending a lot of time with small screens and tapping on the screen keys. Moreover, the number of reported conditions is increasing as the devices are becoming more and more popular.

A lot of people used their smartphones as mini-computers to access the world wide web wherever they are rather than making phone calls. According to a recent YouGov poll, 44% of Britons use their mobile phone for activities other than making calls, for between 30 minutes and two hours a day. The pollster quizzed 2,034 adults over several days in September.

According to Tim Hutchful from the British Chiropractic Association, there are patients who developed inflamed tendons in her thumb from using her smartphone and were unable to use her hand for weeks due to pain.

Sammy Margo from Chartered Society of Physiotheraphy expressed his concern with excessive use of smartphones. He said that people's bodies are not designed to be used like this. The smartphone' keys are too small that will cause pain on the upper limbs. He related that one of his patients stopped texting and switched to voice recognition.

Aside from hand and muscle injuries, experts also warned the public on the problems in posture and eyesight in relation to viewing a small screen for a long time. "The weight of an average human head is between 10 to 12 pounds (4.5 to 5.5 kilograms)," said Hutchful. In an ideal posture, where a vertical line can be drawn from your ear through your shoulder, hip, knee and ankle, "the weight is carried efficiently", he noted.

Children are at more risk as they heavily use the tablets and smartphones and slowly becoming dependent on the devices. However, there are different ways to prevent the deterioration of one's health. Protecting one's health is of vital importance.

"Keep use to a minimum, take regular breaks and look at different ways of interacting. I know families where people communicate from one room to another via text messages," she said. "We have to put limits on this," Margo said.