Habits of using phones and computers
After finishing her housework, Ms. Do Thi Hoi Huong (Can Tho City) often looks at her phone to relax. The appeal of long-running reality TV shows to short clips on social networks made Ms. Huong unable to take her eyes off and watch for hours.
This habit has been repeated for a long time and she herself did not think that this was one of the reasons why she suffered from neck and shoulder pain, forcing her to go to the Rehabilitation Department (Can Tho Central General Hospital) for treatment.
"Along with sitting at a computer at work, I have severe pain in my shoulders and back. At first, I bought medicine to take through the loudspeaker but it only relieved the pain, and it became even more painful later" - Ms. Huong said.
Not only in their 40s, but currently, shoulder and neck pain and spinal pain are also common in young people, especially office workers.
Mr. Pham Nhat Cuong (IT engineer, Can Tho City) lamented: "The nature of my work makes me sit on a computer for hours, not only during the day but even at night. The consequence is that there is little movement or change of posture, and at the end of the day, lying on the bed is extremely painful".
However, at the age of 26, Mr. Cuong has only used medicine, patches to relieve back pain and improve physical exercise, and has not yet visited a doctor, because he thinks he can "endure" it.
Regarding this issue, Mr. Phan Huy Phong (a retired officer in Can Tho City) said that when he was working, he also neglected to see a doctor for timely treatment. For a long time, overwork caused him to suffer from L4-L5 spinal cord disc herniation.
"My children, around 20 years old, also complained of back pain and neck and shoulders, the reason being that they used many laptops and phones without properly moving. I always advise them not to get sick like me" - Mr. Phong added.
Proactive change
The Department of Rehabilitation, Can Tho Central General Hospital warned that the number of patients in the Mekong Delta region with neck, shoulder, and spine pain is increasing dramatically. Ms. Ha Thi Minh Chau - bachelor of physical therapy - informed: In addition to professional treatment with treatment methods for patients, the department always promotes people about scientific lifestyle to maintain the best health.
For office workers, they have to sit on the computer for many hours, need to remember that on average, they have to change their posture for 20-30 minutes, and walk around the room space for a few times.
Workers can also learn and do reasonable relaxation and exercise exercises to stretch the neck, shoulders, and back muscles to help reduce stress and increase joint flexibility; arrange reasonable rest time.
It seems simple, just a fleeting pain, but this could be the beginning of many serious spinal diseases. Doctors warn that if the patient is subjective and not examined and treated promptly, there is a potential risk of leading to unpredictable complications or serious health consequences.
