CHENNAI: When Suman Jain, a student of business administration, began playing Candy Crush Saga, she used to experience a slight pain in her wrist and thumb. However, once she got used to the game, she realised that while she was engrossed, such ‘minor issues’ wouldn’t affect her. She now tries to clear 3-4 levels of the game in a day.
While everything seems to be going mobile today, doctors are seeing more and more cases of people facing physical and psychological problem due to excessive use of mobile phones.
C. Anandajothi, musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapy specialist, examines 40 patients daily out of whom around 10 are diagnosed with bad posture.
They face problems such as trembling, headache, giddiness, bent neck and restricted movements of the neck, arms and fingers. “While using cell phones, one’s neck is bent, which over a period of time leads to weakening of muscles and nerve compression. Patients may also experience numbness; it is thus advisable that one keeps their cell phone half-a-foot away while using it,” he recommends.
Nandakumar Sundaram, orthopaedic surgeon at the Apollo Hospital OMR, claims that in the last five years, the number of patients who have approached him with hand and wrist pain have almost doubled. He says, “Most of them who come to me with this problem are aged between 17 and 35. They complain of wrist and hand pain as their hands have been in one position for too long.”
A. K. Venkatachlam, orthopaedic surgeon, Chennai Meenakshi Multispeciality Hospital, adds that most of the patients who approach him with problems caused due to excessive mobile usage are from the software industry.
Meanwhile, the psychological problems often go unnoticed. “There has been an increase in the number of people who come to me with mobile addiction. This addiction often gets into their workspace and interferes with their daily functions, as a result of which they are unable to focus on their work,” says Dr. Sangita Madhu, clinical psychologist.
Doctors say sustained mobile usage has both physical and psychological implications