Attention techies: Hot tub soaking can help alleviate “techpain”

July 9, 2019

July 9, 2019 All these wonderful tech devices we have these days seem to afford us the opportunity to stay connected and have information right at our fingertips at any given moment. Isn’t all that technology just wonderful?

Well…if you ask your body, you may hear a lot of grumbling about that. All these fab tech devices may help with a lot of things, but they also cause a lot of aches and pains your body would otherwise happily live without. I call it “techpain”. A number of issues can develop from chronic or incorrect tech device use, impacting everything from your upper body to your arms and wrists—even your gastrointestinal system!

  • If you experience discomfort or fatigue from holding your arm out in front of you with a smart pad or gaming console, you’re experiencing Gorilla Arm, one of the first complaints connected to tech devices in the early ‘80’s. The combo of holding your arms out while making small movements can weaken your arms and be unpleasant.
  • Today’s techies can experience this issue regularly. Associated with the use of iPads or laptops, looking down at these devices in your lap will cause neck and shoulder pain. Hunching over these forces your neck to flex forward. That will cause muscle strain in your neck and upper back and can compress the discs in the cervical spine. It also affects your posture. Texting can also have the same negative impact on your shoulders, neck, spine and posture.
  • Your wrists take a beating with all this tech use as well. Pressure that results from holding your phone, pad or gaming device, along with the repetitive motion your fingers go through when typing, texting and gaming can really make your wrists experience some serious agony. If you use a mouse regularly, it will do you no favors in this department either. Not giving yourself consistent breaks from that type of activity could lead to carpal tunnel and tendinitis—no fun!
  • Your back and legs experience pain and numbness when you sit in front of a computer for too long without a break. And—if you think a standing desk helps with that, think again! It turns out you can just as easily have poor posture when standing as you can when sitting down. You may also put your pelvis in an imbalanced position by shifting your weight from leg to leg while standing.
  • If you get fixated with those Fit Bit stats, you could end up overexerting yourself striving to get in those steps if you fall behind. Those activity bursts may feel like accomplishment realized, but it also puts a lot of extra strain on your feet, ankles, legs and knees. It actually has a name—Fit Bit Compulsive Disorder.

Believe it or not—there are others beyond these!

One thing is certain—there’s no app to help cure any of that. BUT—there is hot water soaking! Soaking in a hot tub will help ease pain, provide buoyancy and release endorphins to help address many of these aches and pains. The increased circulation from immersing yourself in hot water will do wonders to get blood flow increased to achy muscles and joints, and using the jets on your wrists, neck and back muscles will provide much needed massage and relief. It’s also an outstanding time to relax, sit back and close your eyes to give them a much-needed break from the glare of computer and phone screens. Let your hot tub be a friend and help you give your body a respite from techpain.