Era Digital has changed our lives permanently. Beyond the benefits, doctors say that more and more technology dependence effectively deforms our bodies with a significant, long -term impact on our health. There is also a spoken of an involution of the human species.
Excessive use of technology makes us sick photo Istock
Era Digital has completely changed people's lives. On the one hand are the benefits of technology, gadgets and devices that make our lives easier, help us to communicate with people in different corners of the world or simply open unexpected opportunities. Everything comes, however, with a price, say medical specialists. Especially if we abuse technology and we are totally abandoned in the digital universe.
So far, when talking about the dark side of technology, the effect on the psychic and the development of children and adolescents has always been emphasized. Beyond the impact on the psychic there are also physical, serious effects of the digital world on individuals. These and serious deficiencies at the level of the hands and spine. An increasingly dependent world on technology actually creates a new man's model, not necessarily more efficient.
Cyphosis of smartphone or laptop and scoliosis
At the moment, almost everywhere in the world, people use at least one digital device. The most handy is the smart phone. Following a study by a communications company, only in the UK, 95% of people between the ages of 16 and 24 have a smart phone and accesses it every 12 minutes. The same study indicates that about 20% of adults are online more than 40 hours a week. Under these conditions, changes in the structure of the human body appear.
The state in front of the screens leads, as a first effect, to sedentarism, with wide implications, from slightly developed muscle mass, reduced mobility and increased risk of chronic diseases, such as type II diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Later, due to the improper posture and its maintenance for a long period, serious problems occur in the spine. The best known is kyphosis.
This is manifested by an antero-posterior curvature of the spine with the projection of the neck in front. In popular terms, people with a throat bent in front and a small cock in the cervical area. This deformation is also known in the specialized literature from abroad as “Text Neck”, with reference to the constant bent position of the head to look at the screen of the phone, tablet or laptop. Given that adolescents are among the largest consumers of technology and social networks, they most often encounter this bodily change, already specific to digital generations.
In addition, more attentive to the screens, whether it is a computer or television, especially when playing through consoles, adolescents no longer control their position and get to spend in defective hours in a row. One consequence is the onset of scoliosis, a serious deformation of the spine in the form of brackets or “S”. Doctor Constantin Tudorache, an experienced specialist in Baleno-Physiotherapy, says that the number of teenagers with scoliosis and kyphosis is increasing.
“Our biggest problem are vicious positions, deposits due to negligence in attitude. These are those vertebral static disorders, scoliosis, kyphosis, cigocoliosis that are detected very late. And then the problems arise. Scoliosis if we do not detect it in time we reach the corset and then to the surgery. Compared to 10 years ago, for example ”says Constantin Tudorache.
The Botosanian doctor says that 90% of scoliosis are idiopathic, that is, they have appeared after inappropriate positions. “If the position is not controlled at home, the position at school is not controlled, normally there are such problems. It is a clear, certain consequence of the vertebral posture disorders”adds doctor Constantin Tudorache.
Smartphone fingers
Not only the spine is affected by the incorrect positions produced by negligence, but also by the state bent over the devices. There are known changes including the fingers of the hands from the smart phone. Abroad bears the name of “smartphone pinky” and “texting thumb”. In the first case, the small finger from the prolonged support of the mobile phone is affected, and in the second the thumb is affected with which we type or sail on the phone, running images or websites. This is how tingling, pain, contracts appear and can go until the joint deformation.
“There are problems especially in the area of distal phalanges”says the Botosanian doctor. Neglect this phenomenon can lead to a significant reduction of the capacity of the hand, to grab, to do different trivial things, to an effective change of fingers. The use of controllers from game consoles can also change the appearance of the hand with multiple consequences.
They are called “fingers in the spring” and manifest itself by thickening the flexor tendon. This problem occurs because of certain buttons at the top of a controller or Joystick, which forces the player, most of the time a teenager, to stay with the finger fingers. It is mainly about the index finger at both hands. These “fingers in the resort” cause pain, problems with the tendon of the flexor and can lead to limiting the joint mobility or effective blocking of the joint. Not to be neglected is carpal tunnel syndrome or “Selfie Wrist”. This phenomenon occurs after the median nerve undergoes a compression through the carpal channel to the palm and fingers, following the frequent use of the keyboard, the mouse, but also of the smart phone.
“Parents must supervise the raising of children”
All these changes in the osature or affect the tendons are often overlooked and things can be complicated quite seriously. In the case of scoliosis, the deformed column can press on the respiratory system, making it difficult to breathe. We are not talking about the lack of mobility, the deformation in the shoulders and the impression that one foot is shorter than the other, a condition that becomes evident in the serious forms of the disease. In the case of carpal tunnel syndrome, the atrophy of the musculature in the palm bridge with other serious consequences in everyday life may occur. In the case of kyphosis, the view can be affected, but also the concentration. “Parents need to supervise the raising of children. To observe and correct the improper posture.”says Constantin Tudorache.
Studies show that, in fact, the technology, in addition to the obvious advantages, has also caused a deterioration of the human capacity to adapt to the environment and to cope with the challenges. Walden University specialists in the United States, in an article entitled “How is Modern Technology Affecting Human Development?”, How technology has changed. Studies indicate that, based too much on the Internet and modern technology, we have come to have a period of attention or concentration of 8 seconds (decrease from 12 seconds).
Other studies indicate that we are starting to lose our decision -making capacity because we rely too much on the Internet when we have to decide in different aspects of life. “Regardless of the decision we need to make, we get to consult the Internet to receive a tip. This means that, as a species, we can no longer rely so much on our instincts.”is shown in the mentioned article.
