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BlackBerry Thumb Bites
Sore thumbs after spending hours on a hand-held email device? Sounds like a case of “BlackBerry Thumb”. The American Physical Therapy Association has recognised BlackBerry Thumb as an official workplace malady – a stress-related injury due to over-use of any PDA or smartphone.
Professor Alan Hedge, an ergonomics specialist at Cornell University in New York state, said the condition is caused by “highly repetitive, forceful thumb movements with the thumbs held back from the palms”.
The symptoms are pain in the thumb and region around the base of the thumb and hand. Treatment consists of resting or strapping the thumb, anti-inflammatory medicines, cortisone injections and, as a last resort, surgery. “It’s a bit like the ‘Nintendo thumb’ of the ’90s,” said occupational therapist Andrew Morton.
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