'Selfie elbow' may be real medical condition!

Image
Press Trust of India New York
Last Updated : Jul 04 2016 | 5:57 PM IST
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.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 04 2016 | 5:57 PM IST

Next Story