Specialists: Too much cell phone use can lead to cell phone elbow

Constant cell phone use could stress out the ulnar nerves, which travels through the forearm and branches into the hand, said Dr. Leon Benson, an orthopedic surgeon and spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, according to the Health Day News. "Repetitive, sustained stretching of the nerve is like stepping on a garden hose," said Dr. Peter J. Evans, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Hand and Upper Extremity Center. "With the hose, you're blocking the flow of water. With the elbow, you're blocking the blood flow to the nerve, which causes it to misfire and short circuit," said Evans. While the nerves are designed for stretching, "it's not normal to be in a position to be stretched for an hour," Benson added. The first symptoms patients often notice include numbness, tingling or aching in the forearm and hand, a pain similar to hitting the "funny bone." As symptoms progress, they can include a loss of muscle strength, coordination and mobility that can make writing and typing difficult. In chronic, untreated cases, the ring finger and pinky can become clawed, Evans and colleagues note in a report in the May issue of the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. Doctors said people who have the cell phone elbow can feel weakness in their hands and have difficulty opening jars or playing musical instruments, Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.chianview.cn for full version.