Ottawa (ECN) - There are have reports on the health risks of excessive texting in the past, but now orthopedic specialists are seeing cases of ‘cell phone elbow’. This condition is where patients have damaged a vital nerve in their arm by bending the elbow too tightly and for too long. This condition is medically known as cubital tunnel syndrome. The symptoms one may experience are numbness in the elbow, tingling or even pain in the forearm and hand.
If the time spent using the cell phone is not reduced, the condition may worsen and other symptoms appear. The nerves in the arm can be stretched and the blood supply through those nerves could diminish. The ulnar nerve (the nerve that extends from the hand through the forearm) can become weakened and scarred by being stretched over and over again.
Cell phone elbow will also cause weakness in the hands and difficulty opening things or playing instruments. It may also be difficult to write or point. Those who have severe damage may have to have surgery to correct this problem. But, most cases of ‘cell phone elbow’ only require simple changes, such as the changing of hands while holding the phone.
