'Smartphone thumb?' 'Selfie elbow? ''Text Neck" ? Cellphone overuse creates new names for new health problems

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As our use of Smart or Digital Mobile phone has increased in our life so many new medical terms has been assigned or few some new kind of symptoms as 'Smartphone thumb?' 'Selfie elbow? ''Text Neck" ? which has appeared as we do different activities and adopt many positions for quite a long time on our smartphones which takes most time of our day to day working now a days.

1. Texting thumb, gamer's thumb or smartphone thumb

Tendons in the thumb or at the base of the thumb become inflamed because of

repetitive use of the thumb when gripping phones or gaming devices. The symptoms are pain, swelling or a sticking sensation when the thumb is in motion. 

 The formal diagnosis is known as De Quervatein's tenosynovitis or stenosing tenosynovitis.

The only way to cure this ailment is to give your thumb a rest, Lickerman said.

"Try to remain below the threshold at which your thumbs or fingers feel actual pain," he said.

2. Selfie elbow, cellphone elbow or numb pinky finger

When pressure is applied to the ulnar nerve, which runs through the elbow and various tendons in the lower arm, pain, weakness and numbness or tingling in the ring or pinky fingers can occur.

This is the same nerve that jolts when you hit your "funny bone," Lickerman said.

Holding arms up and bent for extended periods of time is what causes selfie elbow. Think holding up a tablet or phone toward your chest or face or extending a phone in the air for a selfie 

This is formally diagnosed as cubital tunnel syndrome or ulnar tunnel syndrome, Lickerman said. 

The fix is to stop bending your elbows, he said. Prop up your tablet or phone instead of constantly holding it.

Lickerman said he has had to go as far as putting elbow splints on people who suffer from this condition. 

3. Text neck, tech neck or phone neck

Leaning toward or over tech devices or scrunching a phone to your ear put stress on the spine and surrounding muscles. Symptoms include chronic pain and tightness in the neck and back muscles. 

Its formal diagnosis? Well, it's pretty simple: It's called poor posture, Lickerman said. 

"This is a much more preventable one," he said. "As long as you can keep your neck in a neutral position and keep your posture, you won't have an issue.

"We have a tendency to lean our head forward because the skull and the brain weigh a bit and we bend forward," Lickerman said. "And we put extra strain on them and it becomes painful."