You may complain that the small keyboard on your BlackBerry is a pain to use, but that tidal wave of e-mails you constantly send may be triggering real pain that doctors have dubbed “BlackBerry thumb.”
The numbers of people using text messaging and the numbers of messages they send have skyrocketed over the past few years. By 2007, 40% of all cell phone users used their texting feature with the average user sending 188 text messages each month.
According to Alan Hedge, an ergonomics specialist at Cornell University in New York state, BlackBerry thumb is caused by "highly repetitive, forceful thumb movements with the thumbs held back from the palms." Any hand-held device with a keyboard for messaging, such as a cell phone, can cause the malady if overused.
Symptoms include pain in the thumb and in the area around the base of the thumb and hand. Experts suggest you can avoid BlackBerry thumb by using it less, and when you do, hold the device close to your body and type for no more than five minutes before taking a break.
Treatment for BlackBerry thumb includes wearing a splint, injecting the area with cortisone, and even surgery. “If you’re getting some soreness in your thumbs, you’re probably over-doing it,” said Dr. Dave Alexander of Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. “If you are getting catching in your thumb, you probably should see a hand specialist, and maybe seek some treatment before it gets bad.”
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