Snapping too many smartphone self-portraits is becoming a real pain in the elbow for social media junkies.

As the selfie phenomenon grows in South Africa, doctors are warning that "selfie elbow" is on the rise, particularly among teens.According to the American Physical Therapy Association, "selfie elbow" is a variant of the tennis or golfer's elbow - "good old-fashioned repetitive-strain injuries"."Selfie elbow" came under the spotlight after US TV anchor Hoda Kotb discovered that her constant selfie-taking had resulted in pain in her elbow.story_article_left1"I went to the orthopaedic doctor and he said, 'Are you playing tennis or ping pong?' And of course I'm not, so I told him I was taking selfies," she explained to Elle.com."When you take the picture, your arm is up, bent in a weird way and you just click, click, click - think about how many you take: 20, 30 or 40. Selfie elbow, everyone has it!"According to Durban specialist orthopaedic surgeon Dr Rinesh Chetty, "with the advent of hand-held screens and smartphones, the repetitive daily actions of the smaller joints and ligaments in the upper limbs are taking strain, causing a typical micro-trauma sprain pattern".Chetty said selfie-elbow affected mainly younger patients."It has become a cause for concern among parents and teachers as symptoms can hamper the child at school."Patients present with a deep localised pain around the elbow and it often gets worse with lifting the elbow up and turning the palm inwards."Chetty said that, depending on the severity, "it can cause radiating pain down the forearm, wrist and thumb".And his cure?"The condition is mostly self-limiting so stopping the snapping action will heal the sprained ligaments."Chetty quipped: "Y ou can do 'serious' damage to your elbows and ego by dedicating your precious time trying to snap the perfect moment."But serial selfie-snapper Cedric Mboyisa - who has even shot self-portraits with President Jacob Zuma - said his pastime had not caused him any injury."Maybe it's still coming my way. Let the selfie revolution continue. Selfie continua!"story_article_right2A Hillcrest, Durban, teenager, who did want to be named, loves taking selfies with her friends. She has about 5000 in her collection.But she admits that her selfie addiction does come with a price: sporadic pain in her elbow."I sometimes do get pain from the snapping," she said.The 14-year-old's mother said despite the pain her daughter would not stop her self-portraits. "Even if she was in a wheelchair, it would not stop her. I think she's a bit scared to tell me about the pain because I would just tell her to stop."Durban politician Logie Naidoo is known for his countless selfies. He said he had not encountered any health hazards yet."No elbow, no hand, no eye problem at all. All is well. I will continue snapping," he said.Cape Town chiropractor Dr Robert Delgado explained: "When any joint is held for an extended period of time in a certain position or performs the same motion over and over again, there is a risk of developing a repetitive strain injury."Gauteng GP Dr Sheena Geness said: "We are holding hand-held devices for far too many hours in a day."The toll is obviously taken not only on our elbows but also our fingers, neck muscles and eyes. So when you can take a break from your device, you should."..