The mobile smartphone-induced syndrome is on the
widespread in Nigeria, REMMY NWEKE reports that the alarming aspect is that
most subscribers, especially youngsters are ignorant of the potential
Scoliosis.
NOWADAYS, waking up at 6am, Lebe Onukaogu, an
undergraduate reaches out to his mobile phone to access the world of
Information and Communications at his fingertips. From checking his electronic
mails to social media platforms, mostly What’s App, Twitter, Facebook just to
name a few from the over 1,000 social networking sites; and invariably to
respond to some he felts passionately about, then the conversation continues
for the day.
Of course, in doing the aforementioned, Lebe would either
be standing at a corner of the house or sitting but most of the time whilst
these checks lasted, he is slantly bent to have a better view of his readings,
and keying-in of letters to ensure that those reflect his thoughts and
personality.
Over time, the continuous exercise of this lifestyle
resulted in Lebe recently developing pains on the backbone of his neck. At
first, on visiting a nearby clinic, he was told could have been a fever or
malaria. A laboratory test eventually could not show any of the above.
The
pains lingered for some more days and week went by, until he went to a general
hospital, where after the initial examination, the medical director referred
him to a specialist, a physiotherapist.
DigitalREALMS gathered that Physiotherapy is a science-based
profession and takes a ‘whole person’ approach to health and wellbeing, which
includes the patient’s general lifestyle, thus Physiotherapists help to restore
movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or
disability, according to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Nigeria’s 149,179,083 active subscribers:
Like Lebe Onukaogu, are you one of the Nigeria’s
149,179,083 active subscribers of the Global System for Mobile (GSM)
communications, tendency is that you are one of those having text-neck pains
among every five (10) subscribers, due to constant use of your cherished mobile
phone.
Hear this, experts have it that most Nigerians may be
suffering from this new-breed ailment from the use of a mobile phone,
especially those who use mobile phone extensively in order to stay connected.
With the number of mobile subscribers in Nigeria
increasing, it is alarming to note that most Nigerians are unaware about the
‘Text Neck’ disease which refers to the over-use syndrome or stress injury
which occurs with persistently having one’s head hung forward and down looking
at their mobile electronic devices for presumed extended duration than could
have been necessary, according to the American chiropractor who coined the
word, Dr. Dean L. Fishman.
Investigations by DigitalREALMS showed that most
Nigerians are not aware of the Text-Neck syndrome, even as estimated one in
every 10 Nigerian mobile subscriber may be suffering from text-neck disease
unknown to them, as each of those interviewed acknowledged having neck-pains,
but could not just attribute it to extensive usage until the syndrome was
explained.
Respondents also alluded to the fact that they took it
for granted as one of those pains but never associated with the supposed
syndrome, yet several dosage of analgesics have not been helpful in relieving
their miseries.
According to Statista.com forecast on Nigeria,
DigitalREALMS reports that the number of smartphone users in Nigeria for 2016,
is estimated to reach 15.5 million by December 31, which is expected to pave
the way for an increase in social media and mobile devices access and by
implication rise to text neck syndrome.
Top 3 apps keeping you fixed on smartphones:
In Nigeria, DigitalREALMS gathered that a range of
reasons affect multiple mobile phones usage and ownership, according to recent
findings by Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) Mobile Experience Centre released new
report on “How I Use My Phone” series, which aims at gathering and sharing data
on the pattern of mobile phone usage of different user demographics in the
country.
The survey revealed that students use their mobile phones
mainly for social networking with Whatsapp, Blackberry Messenger and Facebook
being the top 3 most used applications by 28.4 per cent, 19.4 per cent, 13.4 per
cent respectively. Social networking is a major reason and accounts to 89.6 per
cent why they subscribe to internet bundles regularly.
Is mobile phone destroying your spine?
Though efforts to speak to the leadership of the Nigeria
Society of Physiotherapy led by Taiwo Oyewumi was not fruitful at the time of
this report, but a renowned physiotherapist and chief executive of Lagos-based
Ageless Physio Clinic, Dr. Oluyomi Aoko, articulated that mobile smartphones
after-all may be destroying our spines due to wrong postures.
Modern mobile devices, he said, are changing the way
people access information and entertainment, thus, their usage influences human
posture and body mechanics in ergonomically dysfunctional ways that contribute
to neck, upper back, shoulder, and arm pains. he also said, poor posture while
sitting, standing, walking or in a static position could lead to eventual total
collapse of the spine in some cases, mainly among youngsters, who recent study
in the United States by Adweek.com, showed that 79 per cent of the population
between the ages 18 and 44 have their mobile phones with them almost all the
time, with only 2 hours of their waking day spent without their cell phones on
hand.
Symptoms of text neck syndrome:
As said by Dr. Aoko, the symptoms come as neck pain
ranging from a chronic, nagging pain to sharp, severe upper back muscle spasms;
Shoulder pain and tightness, possibly resulting in painful shoulder muscle
spasm; Pinched cervical nerve, turning to pain and possibly neurological symptoms
that could radiate down one’s arm and into their hand; as well as increased
curvature in youngsters which could result into scoliosis.
Scoliosis, as defined by experts at WebMD.com is a
lateral curvature in the normally straight vertical line of the spine. When
viewed from the side, the spine should show a mild roundness in the upper back
and shows a degree of swayback - inward curvature in the lower back. When a
person with a normal spine is viewed from the front or back, the spine appears
to be straight. When a person with scoliosis is viewed from the front or back,
the spine appears to be curved.
Therapy for text-neck:
Further, Dr. Aoko of Ageless Physio Clinic proffered some
therapy to aid text-neck victims, advising, “Don’t bend your neck to look at a
screen- this way you can maintain good posture, relieving your back and
shoulders from the strain of being hunched over; Hold your mobile device at
about eye level-holding the phone closer to eye level helps maintain a healthy
posture and puts less strain on the neck; Practice exercises that strengthen
your posture and be sure to stretch often between long periods of extended use
of devices.
You can rotate your shoulders with your arms by your sides to
relieve tension. You can also tuck your chin down to your neck and then look up
– this helps to relieve some of the tension in your neck built from the common
forward-down position you adopt when looking at your device.
Conclusion:
The fact is that though text neck is becoming a common
syndrome among phone users globally, Nigerians are not exonerated which could
vary from a slight twinge to severe pain across the neck spines down to your
back, most people recover quickly from this mobile device induced-back pain, if
well and quickly managed properly.
Furthermore, experts at Chartered Society of
Physiotherapy (CSP) explained how therapies could help, beginning with tips on
self-help, bearing in mind there is a lot individuals could do to help their
healing process. This comprises continuing with your usual work and activities,
as much as possible, could help resolve patient’s back pain in addition to some
exercises that could reduce back pain and prevent from it returning. Hence, the
right sort of exercise, as may be advised by a physiotherapist, could actually
make a big difference.
Research, DigitalREALMS reports, has shown lower back
pain may return if it is ignored, while experts insist that lifestyle changes,
such as being more active and improving one’s posture, are important elements
to remedying the text neck pains along other kinds of backache or pains
prevalent in the society.
Additionally, the society concluded by outlining some top
tips for back pain including text neck such as exercise and activity are known
as the most important ways of helping oneself off the agony of back pains. Just
as patients, are advised to keep moving and continue with activities such as
walking or swimming; taking analgesics for pain-killers as prescribed by
qualified medical practitioner or physiotherapist, could help one to keep
moving comfortably; just as they advised against sitting for too long when
driving or at work.
Gently stretching to prevent stiffness, the society said,
could form part of the healing magic, while taking care when lifting, bending
one’s hips and knees to use the power in their legs adequately goes a long way;
whereas checking one’s posture when using computers, mobile devices for games
or watching television, which tend to last for a duration beyond usual
expectation is advocated.
CSP experts added that one needs to check the mattress on
the bed to ensure it supports individuals properly; “Don’t smoke – it impairs
your circulation, which affects how quickly the body could recover;
strengthening of one’s trunk muscles may help to protect the back, emphasizing
that car seat and office chair are adjusted correctly in support of one’s
back,” while maintaining a healthy eating habit by way of good diet and
exercise, as being overweight could be a cause of back pain notwithstanding
text neck related activities.
Above all, beware, text neck syndrome is here in Nigeria
and likely to stay as long as our addiction to smart mobile devices suffice.
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