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economist sunsuntribune wellness saturday jan 142006 17 by chris traber staff writer hat video game or com puter may be a ticking time bomb for your childs heath according to cana dian safety council experts and york region physiother apists and educators children spend long often unsupervised hours on computers handheld and tv video games and cellphones parents are increasingly aware of inappropriate content predators bullying and sexual harassment but little attention is being paid to injuries that can result from disre garding the most basic ergonomic principles say experts ergonomics is a way of prevent ing technology related injuries in the workplace but a 2005 safety council sur vey found 94 per ceni of children from grade 4 to 1 1 go online from home and 20 per cent of grade 4 students have their own personal computer that jumps to 51 per cent in grade 11 there has been little research about children and ergonomics and we know we have to do more pro motion physiotherapy clinic owner bonny ohare said approximately one in 10 of the thornhill clinics patients are chil dren being treated for computer- caused posture problems certified kinesiologist laura waller said increasingly musculoskeletal disorders associated with computer use are being reported by children and studies suggest young people are at risk because computer sta tions are designed for adults more children are reporting ten donitis which is being traced to bad posture the forgotten danger haunting your kids endless hours on computer video games ms ohare said theres concern too that theyll run into chronic pain problems later on in the back neck shoulder wrist and arm areas theres also stress on the eyes playing games surfing the net or typing instant messaging for hours at a time can bring on repetitive strain injuries which may take years to develop the council reports recovery can be difficult and in extreme cases may require surgery young children crane their necks to view monitors perched too high sit in big chairs with poor back sup port and keep elbows and wrists at awkward angles the physiotherapists are already witnessing the results some have been seen with neck staff photo illustrationmike barrett charlie dykes 8 demonstrates how not to sit at a computer there has been little research about children and ergonomics and we know we have to do more pro motion physiotherapy clinic owner bonny ohare said and shoulder muscle pain and headaches ms waller said sitting at a computer for a long time gives some children a tingling in the arms and improper wrist position can contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome she said kids playing video games or on the computer sit on furniture with no back support and they slump bad posture can affect blood supply and the spines alignment she said there is a south african study that refers to blistered and injured fingers as playstation thumb another study found a 9-year- old girl with a severely ulcerated hand as a result ofpressing too long and hard on a game control ms ohare said the condition is now avoiding the curse of playstation thumb making computers child friendly adjustable keyboard tray and chair to ensure computer is at the right height and distance from the child smaller mouse for smaller hands monitor about 18 to 24 inches away top of screen aligned with forehead and eyes level so the neck is not in an awkward position elbows bent to 90 degrees arms close to the body feet on floor or on a foot rest to avoid slouching and poor posture wrists straight not bent forward or back to avoid stress on the wrist joints and nonreflective screen to decrease eye strain and decrease chance of poor posture as children try to avoid reflections and glare tips for parents and teachers monitor the amount of time spent on the computer or playing video games take stretch breaks or change posi tion every 15 minutes take an activity break every 12 hour to hour hold the mouse or video game con trols lightly dont grip tightly be aware of any complaints of headaches numbness tingling or eye strain encourage physical activity and exercise and see your doctor or physiotherapist if symptoms persist source pro motion physiotherapy for more information call health con nection 18003615653 pro motion physiotherapy 9057311991 or online wwwsafetycouncilorg called ulcerative nintendinistis novel nomenclature aside par ents are also growing wary of tech nologys grasp on kids my son has grown out of video games but my daughter lives on msn computer instant messag ing richmond hill high school guidance counsellor and teacher cora donnelly said as much as i try and control it it gets the better of me msn is a social activity and all her friends are on it beyond complaints of dry eyes and headaches ms donnelly sees no physical injury resulting from her childrens computer use how ever thats not to say excessivecom- puter time isnt without menace kids in general are less active and sedentary by spending too much time in front of screens and it is leading to obesity short attention spans and they dont speak or write in complete sentences she said kids tethered to technology must be supervised and observed ms waller the bottom line is awareness and making proper changes she said adding parents and caregivers should follow simple guidelines see tips and refer any computergener ated discomfort to a family doctor or physiotherapist jl tribal productions presents youre a good man i charlie brown i a spellbinding fulllength i musical comedy experience r wed jan 18 2006 800 pm tickets 35 ilr ffcj is coming f robert michaels jazz latin lively feel the heat as robert michaels thrills audiences with his lively buoyant concerts incorporating flamenco and latin jazz with many others styles sat jan 21 2006 800 pm tickets 36 unforgettable the music of nat king cole and the brothers of song fri feb 17 2006 special matinee at 230 pm tickets 35 call for your 9053qi montosat tickets today sh0w79 neat