Mobile phone elbow: The downside of those girly chats
Mobile phones have been all over the news lately with what seems like a daily launch of a new handset, and specs keep getting higher and higher. Cast you mind back a few years though, and they weren’t as well received, with people blaming them for all sorts of ills, from skin cancer to hearing loss. They got a bit of bad press recently when it was discovered dirty phones could lead to spotty skin on one side of your face, and now they’re in the news again, being blamed with ‘mobile phone elbow’.
The problem is that some people tend to chat for prolonged periods of time, crooking their arm like so and holding their phone to their ear. Keeping your arm in that position for a lengthy period can overextend the ulnar nerve, which runs from the funny bone to your fingers. Blood flow becomes restricted as well, which leads to all sorts of nasty symptoms.
Sufferers may experience tingling in the arm, numbness or lack of sensation and control over their arm- clearly not a good thing. Medically speaking, this problem is called ‘cubital tunnel syndrome’ and if not addressed, your days of opening jars may be over forever.
Experts suggest moving phone from ear to ear and using different hands to hold it, as well as keeping phone calls to under an hour to prevent extra strain on the nerve.
Typical curse of modern life huh?
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