Blackberry Thumb is the name given to a painful repetitive stress injury resulting from the frequent use of handheld devices. Not, of course, just from Blackberries. In addition to pain, the condition often causes a numbing sensation.
It’s caused by spending too much time on handhelds - checking e-mail, composing e-mails, instant messaging, and accessing the Internet. People spend an inordinate number of hours, every day, on these devices - all the finger jiving takes its toll on poor unsuspecting joints.
For anyone in the middle-aged crowd who suffers from an underlying arthritic problem in the first place, this repetition aggravates the problem.
The American Physical Therapy Association has come out with a list of tips to help prevent the problem. Read and Heed:
- 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 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.
Repetitive stress injuries sneak up on us - we tend to overlook the earliest signs and write them off as “just a twinge.” Big mistake. I can’t help but wonder, say 20 years down the road - what sort of shape people’ s hands will be in from this frequent repetitive motion. We’d all wax brilliant to memorize the APTA’s exercises and tips and make them repetitive.
