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Blackberry Thumb a Sour Fruit of Modern Labor - Healthy Living: Living a
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Blackberry Thumb' Proves a Sour Fruit of Modern Labor
SATURDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- You can now add "BlackBerry Thumb"
to the list of workplace maladies , says the American Physical Therapy
Association (APTA).
BlackBerry Thumb refers to an increasingly common, repetitive-stress
injury stemming from use of the popular handheld electronic devices.
This stress injury causes pain and/or numbness in the ****** and joints
of the hands.
The condition is caused by spending too much time on these devices --
checking and composing e-mails, instant messaging, and accessing the
Internet.
"The use of PDAs (personal digital assistants) is no longer limited to
the eight hours spent in the workplace," Margot Miller, president of the
APTA's Occupational Health Special Interest Group, said in a prepared
statement.
"More and more, people are depending on these devices to stay in touch
with friends and family before and after the work day and on the
weekends, as well as having access to work when they leave the office;
that is where the heart of the problem lies," Miller said.
Many PDA users are middle-aged and overuse of the handheld devices can
aggravate underlying arthritis.
"Because the keyboard of the PDA is so small, and because the thumb,
which is the least dexterous part of the hand, is overtaxed (for faster
typing), the risk of injury just skyrockets," Miller said.
The APTA offers the following tips on how to avoid BlackBerry Thumb:
Take frequent breaks from your PDA. Don't type for more than a few
minutes at a time.
Write fewer and shorter messages. Learn to abbreviate your responses.
Try to avoid thumb-typing. Use your other fingers to type.
If possible, place a support in your lap when using a PDA, so that your
wrists are in a more upright position and not flexed or bent.
The APTA also recommends the following simple exercises:
Tap each finger with the thumb of the same hand. Repeat five times.
Alternate tapping the palm of your hand and the back of your hand
against your thigh as quickly as you can. Repeat 20 times.
Open your hands and spread your fingers as far apart as possible. Hold
for 10 seconds and repeat eight times.
Fold your hands together, and turn your palms away from your body as you
extend your arms forward. You should only feel a gentle stretch. Hold
for 10 seconds and repeat eight times.
Fold your hands together, turn your palms away from your body, and
extend your arms overhead. You should feel the stretch in your upper
torso and shoulders to hand. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat eight times.
-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: American Physical Therapy Association, news release, Aug. 30,
2006
Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.
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Blackberr
y Thumb' Proves a Sour Fruit of Mode
rn LaborSATURDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay Ne
ws) -- You can now add "BlackBerry Thumb"
to the list of workplace maladies ,
says the American Physical Thera
py Association (APTA).BlackBerry T
humb refers to an increasingly common
, repetitive-stress injury stemming fr