Here are two things I will confess. I don’t have a single picture of my family in my wallet, yet I have several hundred on my phone. I’ve probably sent 10,000 emails since the last time I wrote and mailed a letter. I’m not necessarily proud of this, but it illustrates how things have changed over the years. In Fremont much like most of the Silicon Valley, we have such a comfort level with technology that it permeates our professional and personal lives at almost every moment.
The changes in technology have also changed my Chiropractic practice. Entering my 10th year in practice, I’ve seen how some injuries have become more prevalent as our use of technology has increased. 10 years ago I saw more low back pain as a result of trauma such as heavy lifting or sports injuries. In the last few years, I’ve seen an uptick in non-traumatic injuries. How many jobs require the endurance of sitting 8-10 hours a day in front of a computer? Administration, sales, engineering, and countless other jobs are done on the computer. That kind of endurance sitting not only puts extensive pressure on the low back, it’s a major cause of neck pain, tightness across the shoulders and the dreaded tension headache. Not to mention Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Migraines.
Another unfortunate manifestation of increased technology has been the repetitive strain injuries (RSI) on children. Hours of video games are leaving scars on our children. It’s no coincidence that I see more children with headaches in June, July and August than the rest of the year combined. When school is out, kids spend more time on the computer or with their game consoles than they do playing outdoors. As a parent, please be aware of this. In my home, we have rules that require exercise in exchange for game time. It has worked out well for us.
The take home point is this. Technology has introduced us to the repetitive strain. RSI is as serious as traumatic injuries. They both affect the nerves, muscles, and bones. However they are treatable and I have made the effort to enhance my own abilities to treat these conditions fast and effectively with the goal to reduce or eliminate the pain while helping the body heal naturally.
