If you were told that your mobile device is the cause of your wrist injuries would that stop you from texting?
In January, the media research firm reported that the average teenager sends 3,146 messages each month. That’s 10 messages every hour not spent in school or sleeping. A recent call to action campaign was revealed when parents found out the average amount of time their teenage child spent on their cellular phone. This scared many parents as their children began to complain about the pain in their wrist, and arms while trying to complete their hand-written homework.
The condition is pretty common among the general population, but unusual among people less than 20 years old. Mobile devices were brought up to be the number one reason for carpal tunnel syndrome. Devices such as ones with pop-up buttons and clickable roller-balls were the main focused to blame.
Carpal tunnel syndrome results when the median nerve, which extends from the forearm to the hand, becomes compressed at the wrist. When you text, type or make other repetitive motions, irritated tendons or other swelling can squeeze the nerves inside the narrow “carpal tunnel.”
Many parents are taking their children to see a chiropractor and pain specialist hoping to resolve the issues. Some parent even made their 16 year old child wear an arm brace to help with the irritation. Some admit they were embarrassed to let a mobile device cause them to develop wrist pain. Some even considered other solutions such as using a mobile device especially ones with a touch screen instead of buttons. If your child is suffering from “texting thumbs” or carpal tunnel syndrome visit a pain specialist in orange county for treatment options. It is best to end the pain now than to let it spread into other areas of the body. Refer to an interactive simulator to help identify the areas in which your child’s body might need treatment.
