Repetitive motion injuries with your PDA (Blackberry or Treo)

Repetitive motion injuries is a usual injury that occur for people who work on desktop and laptop in office. Now PDA users may have the similar problem. A case study written by Associated Press mentioned that using small electronic gadget with heavy thumb usage may lead to this type of injury:

"… No national statistics exist on how many people suffer from this type of thumb ailment, but some doctors say they are seeing an upswing in related cases, said Dr. Stuart Hirsch, an orthopedist at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Paterson, N.J.

“It’s mostly the road warrior who prefers to answer e-mails on a thumb keyboard,” said Hirsch. “If all you did was just answer with a simple yes and no, it would not be a dilemma.”

For as long as video gamers have been blasting aliens, so-called “Gamer’s Thumb” has been a sore spot for them, as well. With tens of millions of portable video game machines on the market, lots of young hands risk digit abuse.

Games for such devices generally include some type of printed warning about injury risks from prolonged playing.

Earlier this year, the American Society of Hand Therapists issued a consumer alert, warning users of small electronic gadgets that heavy thumb use could lead to painful swelling of the sheath around the tendons in the thumb.

The group recommended taking frequent breaks during e-mailing and resting one’s arms on a pillow for support…"

Take it easy with your Treo.

Blackberry Users Learning Painful Lesson - [Yahoo! News via Geek-Digest]

Die Dulci Fruere