Craze for that perfect click causing ‘selfie elbow’
Selfie is a rage among youth these days. While there have been incidents of deaths and fatal injuries for many while attempting a perfect click, the obsession are also leading to ‘selfie elbow’, a latest tech related medical condition.
“It’s fast catching among young people. In fact, 1% to 2% patients are being found suffering from this condition,” claimed surgeon Dr Dhananjay Gupta, director and senior consultant, orthopedics, joint reconstruction and replacement surgeon, Fortis Hospital, Delhi.
“Taking too much selfie creates excessive stress and strain on the muscles in the wrist. It also affects upper limb, elbow and shoulder muscles, which automatically will lead to functions getting degraded. Over the time, patients start developing symptoms like pain in the wrist while opening or closing tap or making a strong grip,” said Dr Gupta. He is in Allahabad to conduct a specialized OPD of orthopedic patients at the free camp conducted by Jeevan Jyoti Multi Specialty Hospital.
The medical condition is similar to tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow. According to a study published by US-based Carnegie Mellon University and Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi, as many as 76 people lost their lives while taking selfie in India.
According to experts, while taking selfies, one holds the mobile phone for several minutes in strenuous posture, which can cause trauma to the muscles and tendons in the elbow.
“Keeping elbow straight or slightly bent in a forceful manner until one gets to capture the image of his/her choice leads to abnormal strain on the tendons and ligaments of the elbow, which further leads to inflammation and acute or chronic pain in the elbow,” said the doctor.
While the rising number of cases is a cause of concern, luckily, it is easy to treat the ‘selfie elbow’ condition.
“If it is at initial stage, treating it with some ice, rest, anti-inflammation pills and a few physiotherapy sessions can help cure the problem,” said Dr Gupta.