(CNN) — If your pinkie and ring fingers tingle or feel numb, you might not want to pick up that cell phone to call the doctor.
Too much cell phone use can lead to overextending nerves, causing what doctors call "cell phone elbow."
Orthopedic specialists are reporting cases of "cell phone elbow," in which patients damage an essential nerve in their arm by bending their elbows too tightly for too long.
When cell phone users hold the phone to their ears, they stretch a nerve that extends underneath the funny bone and controls the smallest fingers. When talkers chat for a long time in that position, it "chokes the blood supply to the nerves. It makes the nerves short-circuit. The next thing you know, there’s tingling in the ring and small finger," said Dr. Peter J. Evans, the director of the Hand and Upper Extremity Center at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.
When that happens, the advice is simple: Switch hands — before it gets worse.
People who have this condition, called cubital tunnel syndrome, can feel weakness in their hands and have difficulty opening jars or playing musical instruments.
More talking, more problems: ‘Cell phone elbow’ damages nerves – CNN.com
I remember the same thing happening to those who spent a great deal of time on the (land-line) phone at work. It’s no wonder it now happens to cell phone users as well since the cell phone offers more of a chance to hold a personal phone conversation than the old land-lines ever did (okay, so that’s obvious).
I’m assuming you’re feeling better…sure hope so. Being sick sucks, but at this time of the year, it’s just not fair!
I would have to think there’s many cell phone users that suffer from this affilction. I see too many that seem to never hang up.
I got a Jabra Bluetooth earpiece for conversations in the car and I liked it so much I use it at home for long personal conversations. I never thought I would like it but it’s so much better than holding the phone for an hour.
I’m beginning to wish they’d never invented the damned things to begin with. I hate going out in public and listening to everyone’s business. I hate having neighbors in my yard not talking to me, but someone on their cell phone. I hate that people are texting in cars and killing innocent people. Or on trains or planes or wherever they are wreaking havoc. I hate it when repairmen come to my house on my dime and have personal phone calls that lengthen… I hate seeing young children with a cell phone in their hand, as though it’s a toy. And just what is it to them anyway, but a toy? Well, I’ve gone on long enough. There is a place, a good place, for cell phones. For safety’s sake. But I have just come up with a host of reasons why they’ve become too much of a good thing!
Brenda
Thanks for the post. Wow,what an interesting case. “Cell phone elbow” – hmmm…I use mobile phone about 10 hours a day. I am not joking, I am a businesswoman, and always in contact with people, but I have never had any pain… So, may be it await me(((
Very interesting! I can see tennis elbow because of the excess activity. So cell phone elbow is the opposite – excess inactivity.
Hope you’re feeling a lot better!
Brenda, I’m with you.
I thought we all had a sort of social compact with the world, that we’re all in this together, with all the accompanying courtesies/sanctions. And at first, years ago, people indeed were polite about using their mobiles. Not anymore.
Cell phones have turned the world into a sort of giant office cubicle. Maybe not everyone gets a physical problem from cell phone usage.
I sure do think our society is ailing a bit, though.
Never before have people been so connected yet so far apart.
Thank you all for your comments, yes I am feeling better and thank you for the good wishes. It seems the topic of cell phone usage still stirs up a lot of emotion and ire. I do agree with many of the comments left. Though our phones are a necessity everyday common sense when using them has gone out the window! Cil- I really like your last sentence, ‘never before have people been so connected yet so far apart.’ How true!