News Release

Children experience wrist and finger pain when using gaming devices and mobile phones over time

Long-term impact of gaming on musculoskeletal conditions still to be established

Peer-Reviewed Publication

European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)

For the first time, results on the impact of gaming devices on finger and wrist pain in children were presented today at the EULAR 2011 Annual Congress. Data comparing two schools in the USA demonstrate that young children experience high levels of pain following long term use of gaming devices and mobile phones indicating that excessive gaming may negatively impact on joint health.

The study, involving 257 students, highlights that a higher degree of pain was experienced with the use of gaming devices compared to mobile phones. Pain reported by children using Xbox and Gameboy was statistically higher than pain reported for the iPhone (p=0.036 and p=0.042 respectively). Importantly, the length of time spent on the devices heightened the pain suffered, as the data demonstrated that length of time was independently associated with the pain reported, with the odds of reporting pain increasing by two (95* CI [1.50, 2.89, p<0.001) for every one hour of play.

"Our study has shown the negative impact that playing computer games and using mobile phones can have on the joints of young children, raising concerns about the health impact of modern technology later in life," said Professor Yusuf Yazici, Rheumatology, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York. "We hope that further research in this area will shed light on what could be a serious health concern for today's gaming children, in later life."

The study also investigated pain attributed to mobile phone usage for the sending of text messages, the number of texts sent, the use of abbreviations, and the type of keyboard used, according to age and gender. The results indicated that female students reported twice as much pain as male students (0.37 [1.0] and 0.15 [0.5] respectively, measured using the 10cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS, a pain measurement scale) and gender was the only independent variable associated with pain.

The study involved 257, nine to 15 year old students from two schools in St Louis, USA. They were administered with a questionnaire to aid researchers in determining the possible association device type, age of children and hours played may have on wrist and finger pain. A multivariable generalised linear model examined whether reported pain was associated with game device usage adjusting for age, gender, school and duration of game play per game device.

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Abstract Number: OP0004

NOTES TO EDITORS:

For further information on this study, or to request an interview with the study lead, please do not hesitate to contact the EULAR congress Press Office in Room N12 (opposite the exhibition hall) of the Congress Centre during EULAR 2011 or on:
Email: eularpressoffice@uk.cohnwolfe.com
Rory Berrie:
Onsite tel: +44 7901 513 297
Dimple Natali:
Onsite tel: +44 7900 138 904

About EULAR

  • The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) is the organisation which represents the patient, health professional and scientific societies of rheumatology of all the European nations.
  • In line with The European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), EULAR defines rheumatology as including rheumatic diseases of the connective tissue, locomotor and musculoskeletal systems.
  • The aims of EULAR are to stimulate, promote, and support the research, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of rheumatic diseases. To this end, EULAR fosters excellence in education and research in the field of rheumatology. It promotes the translation of research advances into daily care and fights for the recognition of the needs of people with rheumatic diseases.
  • Diseases of the bone and joints such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis cause disability in 4-5% of the adult population and are predicted to rise as people live longer.
  • EULAR 2011 is set to be the biggest rheumatology event in Europe with over 15,000 scientists, physicians, allied health professionals, and related audiences in attendance from over 100 countries. Over the course of the congress, almost 300 oral and more than 1600 poster abstract presentations will be featured, with 300 invited speaker lectures taking place in more than 140 sessions.
  • To find out more about the activities of EULAR, visit: www.eular.org


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