Today, most Americans enthusiastically use some form of wireless technology — smartphones, tablets, desktop and laptop computers are our constant companions in the digital age.
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But are these devices always a positive thing? Turns out they can be quite a pain — literally. You can feel it in your hands, wrists, and up into your arms and neck.
“We are seeing many, many cases of technology-related tendonitis,” said Deb Cooper, a certified hand therapist at Excel Orthopedics in Woburn, Massachusetts, who has 22 years of clinical experience. “Repetitive use of specific tendons can cause strain and injury in several areas of the hand, wrist and even up the arm.”
Carpel tunnel syndrome, or a pinched nerve in the wrist, is a familiar term to most people, as is “tennis elbow,” which is pain in the lateral side of the elbow. Both can occur with repeated use of today’s technology. Even repeatedly swiping an iPad, day in and day out, can cause painful wrist tendonitis.
Even repeatedly swiping an iPad, day in and day out, can cause painful wrist tendonitis.
“Physical positioning when using technology like a desktop computer is so important,” Cooper said. “As is stretching, and frequent break periods. Every 15 minutes, just to stand and stretch a bit, is optimal.”
Our technology usage will only increase. Think of the number of times each day you use your smartphone. Chances are, you use a laptop every day, as well.
Monthly global mobile data traffic will surpass 24.3 exabytes (1 billion gigabytes) by 2019, though the number of mobile-connected devices exceeded the world’s population in 2014, according to Cisco Visual Networking Index.
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“Remember ‘Blackberry thumb’?” laughs Cooper. “People are getting that now, too — especially kids — tendonitis in the thumb from smartphones and video games. In boys, we see it more from videogames, and girls, texting.”
“You can injure your wrist or hand so badly just from using your devices that you actually need surgery.”
That’s a lot of fingers moving and typing, and it’s fertile ground for tendon and muscle strain, too.
How do you treat these benign but painful and annoying injuries?
“First, do the usual,” Cooper said. “Rest, ice, and avoiding the repetitive movement that caused the pain.”
But Cooper cautions against one thing — treatment plans from the Internet.
“We have lots of patients who come in and say, ‘Oh, I have been strengthening my wrist after I learned how from a Youtube video,’ when what they needed was not strengthening, but to rest the tendons,” she said.
Steroids can be prescribed by a doctor to treat injuries if rest and ice don’t so the trick. And, finally, there’s surgery.
“You can injure your wrist or hand so badly just from using your devices that you actually need surgery,” Cooper said.
What can you do to prevent injuries and get your work done?
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“We would love to see more people taking advantage of ergonomic specialists. Many companies have them available, but few employees take advantage of the service,” Cooper said.
Ergonomic specialists will evaluate what tasks you do that use technology a daily basis — and how you are doing them — and then make small, but important, adjustments so you don’t unwittingly cause pain and strain on your muscles, tendons and joints.
“They will place your chair at just the right height, and your computer, too. Small adjustments, like moving a desktop computer out of the corner and into the center of the desk, can prevent a slightly cocked head that may cause neck strain and pinched nerves,” she said.
One tip you can use today, to improve your chances of being both injury-free and device-happy, is this: Move closer to your desk, and mouse with your elbow close to your side, and not stretched out, leaned back in your chair.
“This simple change will prevent elbow strain, and put you in the correct position, saving those important tendons,” Cooper said.
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