Thanks to near constant onslaught of new technology—from ultra-small computers and garage band video games to Wii—today’s users are falling victim to a completely new set of gadget-induced injuries. A 2006 study done in the United Kingdom found that nearly half of all computer users have experienced some kind of computer-related injury and users between eighteen and twenty-four reported even higher injury rates (70 percent!). It appears these injuries aren’t just a pitfall for techies anymore—home and casual users are also afflicted with a slew of problems related to their tech habits. Maybe I’m paranoid it’ll happen to me, or maybe I just have a really strange sense of humor, but I took a closer look at today’s technology-related injuries … and how to avoid them.
The Wii Factor
True: Wii does have a health advantage over traditional video games because it sometimes requires us to get off the couch and wiggle around. Also true: encouraging people who have spent the majority of their lives on the couch to wiggle around has (not surprisingly) caused some problems for otherwise sedentary bodies. Since coming out in 2006, users of Nintendo’s latest gaming system have been falling victim to what can only be described as sports injuries. I kid you not. Turns out hours of waving the little white Wii controller around can cause some serious aches and pains that were previously reserved for gym rats and tennis players. In November 2006, the Wall Street Journal actually reported on “Wii elbow,” a then-growing phenomenon where players would wake up with numb arms, sore shoulders, and painful elbows. As I checked out some gaming sites in search of these injury sufferers, it looked like the Journal was on to something—many of the users I chatted with experienced muscle strain after Wii-ing, and one even ended up with a pulled groin.
There are even sites dedicated to players that have ended up on the wrong end of the controller. WiiHaveAProblem.com lets visitors post and comment on photos of Wii damages. I only recommend checking it out if you’re into looking at close-ups of bruises, cuts, and swollen limbs. Okay, okay, I have partaken in a little Wii recently (hey, my sister got it for Christmas) and yes, my hand ended up a little sore after an intense session on the guitar. Don’t judge.
So, what’s one to do if she wants to play her Wii and avoid injuries, too? “If it’s the active moving around that’s making you sore, your body should eventually get used to it, just like it would with traditional exercise,” says Sarah Segal, a Seattle-based chiropractor.
That said, injuries that go along with more sedentary gaming can stress our bodies in a slightly different way—to which they won’t necessarily become accustomed.
The Sitting-Still Risks
If you’re a traditional kind of gamer, common injuries will be less sport-mishap and more eye, neck, and hand strain. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, shoulder, hand, and thumb injuries are common from overuse of these kinds of games and video game overuse is more common than you might think. A study by VIDEO showed that nearly a third of video game users classify themselves as an extreme or console-using gamer—and these respondents ranged from logging an average of 8.2 to 22.3 hours each week gaming. Yikes. The constant and repetitive use of the thumbs is often too much for the joints to handle for such long stretches of time and can cause serious problems like tendonitis, bursitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome, says Segal. This also applies to games on computers—the constant dragging and dropping of the mouse has caused heavy users’ arms to go numb and loss of control over their fingers. Try explaining that one to your boss. (See below for tips on how to avoid these problems.)
The Work Desk Woes
From computers to telephones, the innocent-looking desk is actually a minefield of possible techie injuries. At my last job, I sat at a desk, editing articles in a content management system. This means my day consisted of clicking, dragging, and reading small print on a computer screen. Not even one year in, my forearm started to ache and gave me sharp pains on a daily basis. I had to beg my boyfriend for forearm massages—so not sexy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over 100,000 employees missed three to five days of work last year because of a musculoskeletal disorder. What is a musculoskeletal disorder? “It means they had a sore neck, back, or wrist,” says Segal. These numbers don’t include those who missed fewer—or more—days for the same reason.
