Latest news with #TechNeck
Economic Times
16 hours ago
- Health
- Economic Times
Mind your posture: Doctors cite long hours in front of screen for increasing lifestyle diseases
Agencies Mind your posture: Doctors cite long hours in front of screen for increasing lifestyle diseases New Delhi: Lifestyle ailments that are increasingly becoming commonplace among young professionals who spend long hours at work often have a common underlying cause: their sitting posture in front of the number of working professionals visiting hospitals with muscular, spinal, eye and heart disorders and mental concerns has increased 30-40% now compared with last year, doctors said. Many of these patients are millennials and Gen Zs, who spend long hours at work to stay relevant in workplaces that are changing fast with the disruption caused by artificial rise in disorders linked to long hours working on computers has also led to terms like Tech Neck, Text Claw, Sitting Disease, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, Dead Butt Syndrome and Digital Fatigue Syndrome finding their way into the medical vocabulary. Doctors said many cases are so severe that they need medical intervention and at times even Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, 70% OPD walk-in patients were elderly, mostly 60-plus, until four-five years ago, said Seema Grover, head of the Department of Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation. But now they are much younger. 'Around 60-70% are now 20-40 years of age. This is especially true of younger professionals in corporates with long working hours who come with biomechanical and postural concerns.'Among these patients, degenerative changes are seen much earlier in the spine due to muscular imbalance and repetitive stress injuries. Excessive screen usage is damaging, especially with wrong posture, said Grover. Use of screen compels one to bend his/her neck at an around 60-degree angle and the neck has to strain to maintain the head position to bear 10 pounds (about 4.5 kg) load in neutral. 'This is six times the strain/load the muscles take compared to when in an upright position,' she screen hours also cause damage to the heart, brain, muscles, and even lead to mental disorders, say doctors.'We have seen an unprecedented surge — an almost 25–30% rise — in OPD visits over the last year alone due to sedentary lifestyles,' said Ripen Gupta, principal director and unit head of Cardiac Sciences, Cardiology, at Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital. More and more 25- to 35-year-olds are coming with hypertension, obesity-related issues, and even pre-clinical heart disease, he asymptomatic heart failures among people in their 20s is also becoming more frequent, said bone mineral density, early osteopenia, spinal disc-related problems, spondylosis and easy fractures are some other common disorders impacting working professionals. There is also a reported surge of palpitations due to stress, atrial arrhythmias, and metabolic syndrome at a younger chair-bound routines are detrimental to vision as well, causing 'dry eyes, blurred vision, computer vision syndrome and early cases of carpal tunnel syndrome due to prolonged use of laptops/phones/desktops, excessive screen time and disturbed sleep cycles', said a medical unprecedented rise of competition, along with the fear of being replaced by AI, is creating a crushing pressure in the workplace, leading to mental health conditions emerging as a result of excessive screen time. 'We are seeing a rise in youngsters and middle-aged people presenting with neurohormonal and neurochemical changes linked to significant anxiety and depression and low concentration,' said Sameer Malhotra, director and head, Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Max Super Speciality Hospital. Kamna Chhibber, a clinical psychologist at Fortis Healthcare, sees the problem not just in physiological terms but also as a deeper psychosocial shift. 'The nature of workplace pressure has evolved. The insecurity now is not just about job loss but about staying relevant. People are overworking to stay competitive, and loneliness, anxiety, and emotional withdrawal are all prevalent,' she said.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Mind your posture: Doctors cite long hours in front of screen for increasing lifestyle diseases
New Delhi: Lifestyle ailments that are increasingly becoming commonplace among young professionals who spend long hours at work often have a common underlying cause: their sitting posture in front of the screen. The number of working professionals visiting hospitals with muscular, spinal, eye and heart disorders and mental concerns has increased 30-40% now compared with last year, doctors said. Many of these patients are millennials and Gen Zs, who spend long hours at work to stay relevant in workplaces that are changing fast with the disruption caused by artificial intelligence. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category MCA Operations Management Management Degree Data Science Leadership Data Analytics MBA Design Thinking PGDM healthcare Product Management Technology Artificial Intelligence others Others Data Science Cybersecurity Healthcare Digital Marketing Project Management Finance Public Policy CXO Skills you'll gain: Programming Proficiency Data Handling & Analysis Cybersecurity Awareness & Skills Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT Master of Computer Applications Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details The rise in disorders linked to long hours working on computers has also led to terms like Tech Neck, Text Claw, Sitting Disease, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, Dead Butt Syndrome and Digital Fatigue Syndrome finding their way into the medical vocabulary. Doctors said many cases are so severe that they need medical intervention and at times even surgeries. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Remember Him? Sit Down Before You See What He Looks Like Now 33 Bridges Undo At Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, 70% OPD walk-in patients were elderly, mostly 60-plus, until four-five years ago, said Seema Grover, head of the Department of Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation. But now they are much younger. 'Around 60-70% are now 20-40 years of age. This is especially true of younger professionals in corporates with long working hours who come with biomechanical and postural concerns.' Among these patients, degenerative changes are seen much earlier in the spine due to muscular imbalance and repetitive stress injuries. Live Events Excessive screen usage is damaging, especially with wrong posture, said Grover. Use of screen compels one to bend his/her neck at an around 60-degree angle and the neck has to strain to maintain the head position to bear 10 pounds (about 4.5 kg) load in neutral. 'This is six times the strain/load the muscles take compared to when in an upright position,' she explained. Long screen hours also cause damage to the heart, brain, muscles, and even lead to mental disorders, say doctors. 'We have seen an unprecedented surge — an almost 25–30% rise — in OPD visits over the last year alone due to sedentary lifestyles,' said Ripen Gupta, principal director and unit head of Cardiac Sciences, Cardiology, at Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital. More and more 25- to 35-year-olds are coming with hypertension, obesity-related issues, and even pre-clinical heart disease, he said. Lifestyle-induced asymptomatic heart failures among people in their 20s is also becoming more frequent, said experts. Lower bone mineral density, early osteopenia, spinal disc-related problems, spondylosis and easy fractures are some other common disorders impacting working professionals. There is also a reported surge of palpitations due to stress, atrial arrhythmias, and metabolic syndrome at a younger age. These chair-bound routines are detrimental to vision as well, causing 'dry eyes, blurred vision, computer vision syndrome and early cases of carpal tunnel syndrome due to prolonged use of laptops/phones/desktops, excessive screen time and disturbed sleep cycles', said a medical expert. The unprecedented rise of competition, along with the fear of being replaced by AI, is creating a crushing pressure in the workplace, leading to mental health conditions emerging as a result of excessive screen time. 'We are seeing a rise in youngsters and middle-aged people presenting with neurohormonal and neurochemical changes linked to significant anxiety and depression and low concentration,' said Sameer Malhotra, director and head, Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Max Super Speciality Hospital. Kamna Chhibber, a clinical psychologist at Fortis Healthcare , sees the problem not just in physiological terms but also as a deeper psychosocial shift. 'The nature of workplace pressure has evolved. The insecurity now is not just about job loss but about staying relevant. People are overworking to stay competitive, and loneliness, anxiety, and emotional withdrawal are all prevalent,' she said.
Vogue Arabia
4 days ago
- Health
- Vogue Arabia
We Have a Tech-Neck Problem — Here's How to Deal With It
Heads down, shoulders hunched, spines strained — welcome to the age where millennials and Gen Zs carry the weight of their digital lives on their shoulders…quite literally. The result? Tech or text neck. The epidemic can be attributed to mindless doom scrolling, binge-watching, or spiralling down the TikTok rabbit hole, where poor posture and unhealthy skin, specifically in the neck and chest region, await. 'Tech neck is a modern, 'trending' term used to describe neck and upper back pain, stiffness, and postural dysfunction caused by prolonged forward head posture often from looking down at phones, tablets, or laptops,' explains Florence Penny, consultant musculoskeletal physiotherapist and founder, Flow Physio London. The side effects of tech-neck Picture this: the head weighs 4.5 to 5.5 kgs, but for every inch it moves forward, the relative weight on the cervical spine doubles, putting continual stress on the neck. According to Penny, this isn't a 'new' problem. It's a modern evolution of classic postural imbalance that is simply amplified by the unrelenting presence of technology in our lives. 'Tech alone isn't to blame — we're moving less, exercising less, and carrying more day-to-day stress,' explains Penny. 'It's not the posture itself that causes harm, but the prolonged time spent in one static position, often under pressure, that creates strain on the body.' Tech neck isn't about posture; your skin gets caught in the crossfire, too. Dr Milena Al Mansuri, dermatologist and founder of Dubai's Milena Aesthetics Clinic, explains that the constant downward movement of the neck leads to horizontal lines known as 'neck rings' which accelerate skin laxity. 'Over time, these creases deepen, leading to premature ageing in an area we tend to overlook and forget.' Additionally, blue light from screens penetrates deeply into the skin, triggering oxidative stress and collagen breakdown. Dr Al Mansuri believes that the neck and decolletage are particularly vulnerable, often left unprotected and under-moisturised, leading to pigmentation, dullness, and thinning skin. The posture fix As a physiotherapist, Penny emphasises that people often overlook upper body and postural strength training. 'It's not just about stretching or sitting upright, but it's about challenging key muscles against resistance to build the strength needed for long-term postural support,' she explains. She recommends simple exercises like chin tucks, wall angels, and scapular retractions to help activate deep postural muscles and open up the spine, along with stretches for neck and thoracic extension to relieve built-up tension. 'For lasting change, I suggest a physiotherapy review, as a tailored strength programme is key in helping to rebuild the postural support system so that symptoms not only improve, but are less likely to return or become chronic.'
