How your gadgets are hurting you

In an age where folks have resorted to playing virtual tennis from the safety of their private living rooms, we like to believe that we have cheated death or at least evaded any physical activity that might put our lives at risk. What danger could we possibly put ourselves in from some good old World of Warcraft? And could you even begin to imagine that your trusty computer that you've had since grade school can actually lead to problems as devastating as falling of a roof? The flip side to a tech-obsessed sedentary lifestyle is anything ranging from the occasional shoulder pain to fatal accidents and surgery.

If you're a chronic computer user like the rest 99 percent or an active Nintendo athlete, here are a few tech debacles to watch out for.

LAPTOP SHOULDER

Do you get pain in the spinal column for no reason at all at four in the morning? You've been sitting on your bed all night, hunched over your laptop. What could have possibly gone wrong? Two words: poor posture.

As you sit over a laptop or tablet, the neck flexes forward and this strains the muscles in the upper back and neck, progressively squeezing the discs in the spine. Everyone has experienced this at one point or another and while it's not particularly life-threatening, ignored for long enough and you run the risk of developing inflammation in the joints, nerves, tendons and muscles. And that does require surgery.

What can you do to avoid the knife? Don't tense your neck and shoulders when you're working on hours at length. If you're on the laptop, hit the keys and grasp the mouse lightly. Breaks are a must as they alleviate the strain on your muscles and nerves. Learn your limits – if your back starts to hurt, get out of the awkward position, sit up straight and take a walk.

TEXT NECK

Basically the younger sibling of laptop shoulder, text neck is just poor posture and back pain all over again except more elusive. Spend too much time starting down at a screen and you may wind up with persistent headaches and permanent spinal damage. We're probably all doing it right now but it'll take a few more years to really hit. Just as scary as its big brother, doctors all over are calling text neck an epidemic on the rise.

The only thing you can do is to develop the practice of not staring down at your phone and holding it at a comfortable incline instead.

COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME (CVS)

CVS refers to a whole spectrum of nasty eye problems, such as eyestrain, headaches, blurry eyesight and dry eyes. The American Optometric Association says CVS affects 70 percent of those who work on their computers for at least two hours each day. And that's probably everyone alive today.

Like all other tech-related injuries, CVS can be avoided with frequent breaks. Better yet, avoid the computer on weekends and give your peepers some much deserved rest. Adjust the positioning of your screen to about four or five inches below your eye level and 20 to 28 inches away from your eyes. Always increase the brightness of your screen to a level that's easy on the eyes. Your monitor might even need changing. For example, users of Mac's Retina display with existing eye problem complain of increased eyestrain and even dizziness.

TEXT THUMB

Smartphones mean touch screens and touch screens mean swiping. Nonstop swiping. But repeated motions like swiping can lead to a condition called repetitive strain injury or RSI. In people with text thumb, the tendons in the fingers get inflamed and the fingers get stuck in a curled position, which may need a cortisone shot or even minor surgery.

We've all heard about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which glares up in people who put excessive pressure on the wrist, but its sister syndrome Cubital Tunnel can also develop if you've been resting your elbows on a desk for too long. Fingers and hands can get numb and tingly but left that way, you may start to experience pain. Get padding for your elbows and stretch once in a while.

WII HAVE A PROBLEM

And if you gamers thought you were saved with all the 'physical' action that you get, think again. Don't grip your controller too tight – soreness all over your hand and in your wrist as well swollen tendons in your forearm are extremely common. If you Wii, stretch before you put your game face on and take breaks in between rounds.

As it turns out, gadgets aren't the harmless passive slaves-to-our-existence that we thought they were. Remember, your laptop is not your dinner companion slash sharer of your bed. Make it a habit to unhook as often as possible and save yourself a world of pain.

Writer is Sub-Editor of the career publication of The Daily Star. She is also a junior at the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka