Thursday, July 21 2005 16:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Hyderabad: A job in Information Technology (IT) industry means a heavy wallet and envious lifestyle for many. But several of these professionals, working day in and day out, are developing health problems that can cripple them.

"Of late, there has been an increase in the number of IT professionals seeking medical help with a variety of complaints", Dr Bhaktiyar Choudhary, Sports Medicine Consultant, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad and consultant to Microsoft India, told PTI.

"We have recorded data over a period of eight years to study the relationship of posture and occupation. IT and ITeS staffers are prone to forward head posture which can lead to serious compression of cervical nerve roots", he said.

There is another threat in the form of Straight Spine Syndrome (SSS), he said adding, "What is alarming is these problems can begin at a young age, say three to four years after joining in a grueling job. A young man of 27 approached me with a strange complaint that he is unable to hold any object. Investigations revealed that the way in which he used to hold the mouse of his computer was faulty", Choudhary said. The patient was advised to keep off the computers for a long time.

"People in IT need to take special care as they slog for long hours before the computers. This also prevents them from regular physical exercise, which leads to many other problems at an early age," say experts.

There is more. "The stress-levels and demand to meet dead lines are remarkably high in IT. Most join IT at a young age of 23-25 and are developing psychological disorders. I advise a kind of sabbatical for IT professionals after a period of serious work", says a leading psychiatrist here.

Then what is the way out? "One should be meticulous in the issues like posture at work place and ergonomics.

Immediate medical opinion should be sought in case of pain as sustained muscular contraction for long will lead to disk compression and subsequent degenerative diseases", says Choudhary.

"They are advised to chalk out a physical exercise regime that gels well with their work demands and desist from the in-take of too much of powdered coffee or tea," he says.