As CNN and others are reporting, an increasing number of cell phone gabbers are complaining of an ailment called "cell phone elbow." Here are the symptoms. Not to be confused with tennis or golfer's elbow (forms of tendonitis), this new diagnosis stems from the nerves that run through the elbow.
To find out, we spoke with Wildon Hausman, chief of hand and elbow surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. [An edited transcript of the interview follows.]
Are you familiar with the term, "cell phone elbow". He talked to us on his cell from Turkey, where he's attending a conference. A recent report in the Glendon Clinic Journal of Medicine notes that "the exact incidence of cell phone elbow is not known, but anecdotal reports and our own clinical experience indicates that its incidence parallels the rise in the use of cell phones and computer workstations."
So are these mobile devices literally putting people's nerves at risk. Pain or numbness in the hand € especially the pinky and ring fingers. With more than four billion cell phone contracts out across the globe, according to the International Telecommunication Union's annual report, is a larger health issue on the horizon or is it just hype. |