Too many clicks can jam your elbow. Swear! Your over enthusiasm for taking those Instagram and Snapchat perfect selfies can land you at the orthopedist’s clinic. Selfie elbow is a medical condition ladies. You may experience symptoms just like in tennis or golfer’s elbow without doing any real exercise or playing a sport.
What causes the selfie elbow?
Fairly obvious this one. Selfie elbow occurs when you repeatedly put stress on the tendons of the forearm while taking a selfie, repeating the same stance again and again. Symptoms of the selfie elbow are similar to tennis or golfer’s elbow like:
- Pain on inside of the elbow that radiates to the wrist
- Swelling around the elbow
- Difficulty in gripping things like a cup or a jug
Since stopping the selfies altogether might be a no-go for you, we compiled a list of some easy fixes to solve this condition. They are as follows:
- Apply ice
Putting an ice pack for 15 minutes over the swollen area around the elbow will reduce inflammation. It will also reduce muscle pain and spasm. Place a wet and cold piece of flannel on the affected area before you place the ice pack to avoid any skin damage.
- Rest and stretch
Give your elbow a rest. Put your phone down. This will give the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the elbow some much needed rest. Do a simple stretching exercise like a wrist extensor stretch.
- Extend your arm with palm facing upwards
- Bend your wrists with the fingers pointing yo the floor
- With the other arm, bend your palm until you feel a mild stretch in the elbow area
- Hold for 15-30 seconds. Do 3-5 reps twice a day.
- Alternate your arm
If you still can’t put your phone down, take a selfie using your other arm instead. Remember to take rest after a few clicks. This will help balance the burden. Stretch your arms before you take a selfie to avoid your muscles from getting sore.
- Use a selfie stick
Yes! using the selfie stick can take off a lot of strain from the elbow due to the agonizing posture assumed while clicking a selfie. A selfie stick will allow the elbow to be placed in a more natural position, but it can still put a lot of pressure on the already injured muscles, so be careful!
- Ask someone to click your picture
Yes, why not? Going old fashioned is ok in such extreme situations. Let someone click a pic for you. Surely it will receive the same likes and comments on social media. All you need is a good caption. Hit Like!
- Put your phone down.
It wouldn’t hurt if you didn’t click a selfie today. Put your phone down and enjoy the surrounding view and create memories for life. Surely you don’t need a camera for that.
Remember, no photo is worth that much pain.
You may take over the counter painkillers for relief. If the pain still persists, visit your orthopedic or a physiotherapist.
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