CHEARS

In this age of tremendous computer and mobile phone usage, there has been a rise in muscular conditions related to ergonomic dysfunctions. There are several disorders that develop due to prolonged hours of desk jobs and PC work. To name a few injuries, computer back, mouse shoulders, lumbar straining, carpal tunnel syndrome and so on. In this blog, we will address a few potentially dangerous conditions that can be very painful if ignored for the long term.

Ready?

First off, let us address the most commonly inclining disorder in current scenarios- Trapezitis. Since the start of the computer era, this pathology has started emerging. However, there has been a sudden surge in cases ever since the pandemic started. So, what Trapezitis actually is?

Trapezitis is an inflammatory condition of the trapezius muscles. As a result of inflammation, the symptoms like spasms, pain, restricted movement and many more. It is caused by strenuous gymming that activates trapezius muscles, several hours of desk work, long drives, sitting with an awkward positioning of the neck, genetically weak upper back muscles can lead to trapezitis even due to normal loading of these muscles. Malpositioned sitting arrangements mean putting your neck into awkward positioning for a long time. This consequentially leads to acute pain and stiffness.

If not treated in the early stages, it can advance to the stage where patients may experience frequent pain episodes due to nerve compression. Treatment majorly involves heat therapy, massage, stretching, muscle relaxants, electrocutaneous stimulation and physiotherapy.

2) student syndrome

Due to excessive sitting, individuals naturally acquire a posture that feels comfortable. Such a posture includes a curved back and neck. This subsequently affects the spinal cords as well the other joints in the back and neck. Also, it causes spastic episodes of pain on triggering the particular regions. As a treatment, there are a few posture correction poses that help to adopt a healthy posture.

3) mouse shoulder

It is a condition that develops from prolonged gripping of a computer mouse with an abnormal arm positioning. Long-term pathological bracing of shoulders leads to acute shoulder pain and hence, forearm discomfort. If left untreated, it may worsen and develop into a rotator cuff injury. Proper ergonomics, as well as intermittent stretching during micro-breaks, are extremely important to avoid such a type of trauma.

4) carpal tunnel syndrome

A type of repetitive strain injury that originates due to overuse or straining of the median nerve. It happens when the nerve in carpal tunnel compartment is compressed due to repeated strain. For example, malpositioning the hand during prolonged mouse use, grip a proper sized pen if your work involves a lot of writing, hit the keyboard keys softly. The symptoms include lost control of movements when the nerve is triggered, acute unbearable pain, weakness of movements, paresthesia and so on. It can be treated with surgical intervention where the particular area of the nerve is decompressed. The surgery is followed by physiotherapy.

Now that you know about computer-related injuries, the next step is to prevent them. Since more and more people are becoming victims of such digital injuries, it is of utmost importance to improve office ergonomics, assigning 5 minutes short breaks to stretch and ease the muscle strain and building efficient and health-promoting work stations such as standing desk cubicles. Because prevention is always better than cure.