Smartphone users: Beware of muscle neck ailments

Smartphone users: Beware of muscle neck ailments

Gokul Rajendran,TNN | Jun 29, 2015, 11.24 AM IST
Times of India Trichy

TRICHY: Your mobile phone may be smart, but you must be smarter (and cautious too) when using it, or you face the risk of calling for serious health problems.

Improper use of smartphones is one of the main causes of serious health hazards relating to the neck muscles of a user.

Ever since smartphones became popular, the posture of mobile users has completely changed. The constant users of smartphones are not bothered about bending over onto their device to make the most of the options loaded on their favourite gadget.

The forward bending of neck over the phone for a long time leads to neck muscle strain, forward postural deformities, continuous pain, neck stiffness, migraine, wryneck and back pain. "The smartphone users should make sure that they are not bending their neck more than 20 seconds continuously, otherwise they will have to face numerous problems. Though it may be curable, the people can avoid the complications by looking at the phones at the right angle without straining their muscles," Dr S A Karthikeyan, principal of Government College of Physiotherapy at Trichy, told ToI.

Some physiotherapists warn that prolonged illnesses such as vertebral prolapse and spine damage caused by forward bending may even need surgery to be cured.

"The affected people can feel relaxed after taking pain killers which may not be a permanent cure. If they are diagnosed earlier, it can be even treated with minor strengthening exercise or by wearing neck collar. Otherwise, they may have to undergo surgery," said physiotherapist Dr M Barani Sethu.

The hospitals have also been witnessing more number of patients with muscular bone and joint problems, cervical spondylitis, adhesive capsulitis problems caused by bending of the neck to use the smartphone.

Besides the muscular and bone related problems, the smartphone users are also prone to loss of memory, attention deficiency, delay in reacting to a situation, hearing problems, loss of sperm count, cardiac alignment problems and ringtone phobia, say doctors.

The doctors also raised concern about the width and weight of the phone. The cellphone makers are not bothered about the measurement of the devices, which will affect users, they said.

Neurologist Dr M A Aleem advises people to use small size and light weight phones. "The latest trend of using bigger and heavy phones is not advisable because they strain the hands holding the devices. It will lead to numbness in the long run. The handset should fit the normal expanding position of the hand," said Dr Aleem.

The doctors advise that the problem can be prevented if the smartphone users adjust their holding position to the level of their eyes so that they need not bend over onto the phone.

The constant users of smartphones are not bothered about bending over onto their device to make the most of the options loaded on their favourite gadget.