Technology Related Injuries
Technology has been making our lives simpler by making everything easier and more convenient for us. From talking to shopping, working at our jobs, along with everything in between, technology has and still is making most of the things easier for the masses. But is technology silently killing us? Perhaps, some may say it’s making us lazier. Fairly be told, convenience very often comes with a price. So yes, technology can also negatively affect our lives, which is in things like computer-related injuries statistics. Here are some common ways technology-related injuries are silently hurting us as well as our bodies.
It is common to experience occasional pains and aches. Factually, sudden pain is an important reaction of the nervous system that alerts you to possible injury. During an injury, pain signals travel from the injured area to your spinal cord and your brain.
The pain usually becomes less severe as the injury gets healed. Unlike typical pain, chronic pain continues to send pain signals to your brain even after an injury heals. This can last for several weeks to years. Chronic pain may reduce your flexibility and limit your movability, strength, and endurance. This may make it a challenge to get through daily life tasks and activities.
· Sitting Is the New hub of Technology-Related Injuries
Research shows that we sit too much these days and it is slowly killing us. With the help of technology, it’s much easier to sit down, watch TV, use your laptop, use your smartphone, or play video games. Even ordering or buying stuff online can be done without much effort and getting off your butt.
If your work prerequisites you to spend a lot of time while sitting in front of a desk, it is advisable to make it a habit to stand up and stretch for a few minutes every hour or maybe use an adjustable stand-up desk to avoid computer-related injuries in the workplace.
· Hold Your Phones Up
Using your head forward while looking down on your phone damages your spine. You may not realize this but your head is quite heavy and might weigh up to 10lbs. Also, it may get even heavier as you tilt your head forward. A forward head can equate to a 40-pound head. If it’s tilted more, the head can weigh approximately 60 lbs. The greater would be the forward tilt, the heavier your head would get resulting in more strain on the neck.
To avoid this technology-related injury, making a conscious effort of straightening your back portion when using your devices may help or perhaps you could raise your phone a little higher. Give your neck a little stretch might result in less stress on it.
· Avoid Tech-Related Injuries such as the Gorilla Arm
Most of the people are getting diagnosed with this computer-related injury called Gorilla Arm Syndrome. It may happen when you lift your arms in front of you to interact with display screens without having support for a longer period.
Lifting of the arms mid-air without getting support is not ergonomically friendly and may cause severe computer-related injuries in the workplace. Also, it results in fatigue and pain in the shoulder and neck areas. Instead, it is advised to consider working at a desk that has adequate arm support.
· Don’t neglect Your Wrists
Other essential things we usually use are our computers and laptops. They allow us to write, read, make reports, communicate, complete general work tasks, and almost all the ways of running and managing a business nowadays! when it comes to computer-related injuries, prolonged use of these devices also has its downsides.
Typing and using your mouse includes the repetition of wrist motions that may lead to inflammation and compression of structures in your wrist. You may develop a condition called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This is one of the most commonly known computer mouse-related injuries that may result in pain and weakness in your hands. For the prevention of this, keeping your wrists in a neutral positioning is recommended. It is time to take a break from every hour typing and do a quick stretch and also use rotational movements of your hands.
Chronic Injuries
Chronic pain can be defined as pain that lasts at least 11 weeks. The pain may feel dull or sharp, causing an aching or burning sensation in the impacted areas. Chronic pain can occur in any part of the body. The pain may feel different in the various affected areas.
Some of the most familiar types of chronic pain include:
- Headache
- lower back pain
- arthritis pain
- cancer pain
- neurogenic pain (pain caused by nerve damage)
- post-trauma pain
- postsurgical pain
How Chronic Injuries are Caused?
Chronic pain is frequently caused by an initial injury, such as a pulled muscle or back sprain. It is often believed that chronic pain develops after nerves get damaged. The nerve damage makes the pain more severe and long-lasting. In those cases, treating the underlying injury may not be a permanent resolution for chronic pain. muscle strains, sprains, and repetitive stress injuries are common causes of chronic injuries.
However, in some cases, people may experience chronic pain without any prior injury. The exact causing factors of chronic pain without injury aren’t well understood.
Care2Cure helps you prevent technology-related injuries
A Physical Therapist is educated, trained, and extremely knowledgeable about posture, movement, and alignment. These are the three major criteria that are commonly affected when we experience tech-related injuries. We encounter pain and discomfort because of the repetitive motions like typing, chatting, using thumbs for texting, and prolonged sitting. The physical therapist conducts a full evaluation based on the nature of complaints. Then they work with the patient on a program that helps him/her to ultimately get rid of the discomfort and pain caused by tech-related injuries.
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