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Helping you help yourself! My goal: To work in partnership with you to bring you to your optimal health. My focus: Ongoing health, not just temporary relief. This is active health.

Is Your Cellphone Hurting You?

Do you suffer from what is now being called “cellphone elbow”? I remember when I thought “Why would I ever need a phone to carry around with me?” Now, like many others, I feel I cannot leave home without it. Cellular phone usage has increased exponentially over the last decade. Unfortunately, so too has cubital tunnel syndrome (AKA “cellphone elbow”).

Like its well-known cousin, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome is a repetitive strain injury—i.e. injury caused by overuse due to prolonged or recurring movements. Instead of an injury to the wrist area, however, cubital tunnel syndrome causes pain in the elbow when the ulnar nerve is pinched. That’s the same nerve that rings loudly in pain when you hit your “funny bone”.

Cubital tunnel syndrome symptoms can vary, but common early indications are numbness or tingling in the ring and little fingers and/or elbow pain in the location of the “funny bone”.

This injury can be caused by anything that hits or compresses the ulnar nerve or from having the elbow bent for long periods of time causing the nerve to press against bone. Some common examples of actions that can lead to cubital tunnel syndrome include:

• keeping the elbow bent at night when sleeping
• typing for hours with the arms bent at 90-degree angles
• resting an elbow for long hours on a window frame when driving
• leaning on the elbow for extended periods (have you ever seen a person fall asleep in a lecture with their head propped up on their hand?)

• …from keeping the elbow bent for long stretches of time when talking on the phone.

If not treated, symptoms can worsen to cause pain, swelling, weakness or clumsiness of the hand. This can make it even harder to open up a pickle jar or twist off a bottle cap. In severe cases the ring and pinkie fingers can curl up.

First of all, stop irritating the nerve. If your pain is caused by prolonged bending of your elbow, such as from talking on the phone too often and too long, then straighten out your elbow. Swap hands that you use to talk on the phone or use a hands-free headset or Bluetooth ear piece. Maybe you can even go visit the person that you are spending so much time talking to by phone. 

With the use of very thin sterile needles, acupuncturists can choose points at your elbow and/or points elsewhere on your body to cause your body to release endorphins (feel good hormones) and morphines (your body’s own natural painkillers), stimulate nerves that counter the sensation of pain, and alter your brain’s signals for pain. It can also relieve inflammation, increase local circulation to speed recovery, and help you to relax so that your body is in an optimal state for healing. Incidentally, it also helps to treat "Blackberry thumb" and "Wii shoulder". To find out more, feel free to contact me at drcarr@activetcm.com or call 604-783-2846 to book an appointment.

Are You Covered?

Critical Illness Insurance (CII) protects your financial well-being should you be diagnosed with one of the 24 covered illnesses such as Cancer or a Heart Attack. About 50% of all Canadians will be diagnosed with a serious illness in their lifetime which makes CII an important insurance product that every person should own. With the return of premium option, you can choose to surrender your policy and be refunded for all of the premiums you have paid after a selected time period. Therefore with CII, you will inevitably get your money back with either a lump sum tax-free payment after diagnosis or with a refund cheque upon surrender, which essentially equates to free insurance.

Desirée Dupuis, Partner
Insurance Specialist
Three Sixty Financial Group
tel: 778 245 2262
desiree@threesixtyfg.ca 

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