[Passage1]

It'srare these days to see a teenager without a cell phone in hand,texting for hours at a time, seemingly without health consequences.But, when older folks attempt to spend the day e-mailing, instantmessaging and surfing the Web on a handheld device, repetitive stressinjuries -- such as "BlackBerry Thumb"-- are much more likely to occur. ○

 Dubbed"BlackBerry Thumb"because of the popularity of that particular model of wirelesspersonal digital assistant, this repetitive stress injury occursbecause these devices rely almost solely on the use of your thumbsfor typing, instead of all your fingers. Any device that relies onthe thumbs for typing can cause such injury because the thumb, theleast dexterous part of the hand, simply isn’tdesigned for such use.○

"Theuse of PDAs is no longer limited to the eight hours spent in theworkplace," a therapist pointed out. "More and more, peopleare depending on these devices to stay in touch with friends andfamily before and after the workday and on the weekends, as well ashaving access to work when they leave the office. That is where theheart of the problem lies." 

Symptoms of"BlackBerry Thumb"include pain and numbness in the thumbs and joints of the hand. Mostpeople who rely on PDAs wouldn't readily give them up, even for aninjury, so it's fortunate that there are treatments available. One isto take a break from the device for just a little while until youfeel rested. Another is to

wear acustom-made splint while you're sleeping. It can relieve somepressure on your thumb and other joints, and improve your symptoms.○Still another is to ice the injuredarea, and to doing strengthening exercise once the pain disappears.In the worst cases, cortisone shots or surgery can be helpful. 

○As a doctor points out, "Just usecommon sense. Be smart with your use -- shorten answers and just usethe devices when you need to. And, if you feel discomfort, stop usingit and [!--empirenews.page--]goto see yourphysician."