Too much use of smart-phones and tablets can result in health injuries. Health experts in Britain have warned that the strain injuries stemming from long periods spent staring at small screen and tapping at tiny keys can be debilitating. Increasing usage of these devices are causing ailments of “text neck” to “text thumb injury” to “eyesight related problems”.
More and more Britons use their smart-phones for accessing the internet 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.
“I had a patient who developed inflamed tendons in her thumb from using her smartphone and was unable to use her hand for weeks due to pain”, said Tim Hutchful from the British Chiropractice Association. Sammy Margo of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy said that people’s bodies are not designed to be used like this. “The phones are far too small, with keys that are too small”, she said, noting that pain in the upper limbs forced one of her patients to stop texting and instead switch to voice recognition software.
I am not medical expert but after reading a lot about flooding of markets with smartphones and tablets, I was expecting that overuse of these devices will definitely show ugly results also. Technologies are good if they are used judiciously but harmful if overindulgence creep in. Overusage of smartphones and tablets especially by kids and youngsters are dangerous signs and parents should keep a tab on kids if they premit them to use these devices.
