Children who use gaming devices and mobile phones for a long time often experience pain in their fingers and wrists, which proves that prolonged gaming can adversely affect joint health, warned US researchers at this year’s EULAR 2011 rheumatology meeting in London. The study included 257 students aged 9 to 15 using mobile phones and devices such as Xbox and Gameboy.
The children completed a questionnaire on the type of electronic devices they use, the time spent on electronic games, and the pain they felt in their fingers and wrists. It turned out that the negative effects of long gaming consoles are felt the most. Using iPhones was less harmful, and each additional hour of play increased the pain sensation twice.
Researchers also studied the pain in fingers and joints caused by sending text messages (sms), taking into account the number of text messages sent, the type of keyboard and shortcuts used, and the age and gender of the phone user.
It turned out that the girls felt more pain caused by sending text messages. Professor Yusuf Yazici of NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York summarizes the results of the study Our work showed that excessive use of computer games and mobile phones can adversely affect children’s joints, raising concerns about their health in the future. More research is needed in this direction (PAP).