Beating Back 'BlackBerry Thumb'

Uh-oh, time to call the lawyers? Come to think of it, better make that HR, too! One of the latest cautions making the rounds has "Crackberry" addicts suing their employers down the road over repetitive strain injuries attributed to overuse of the popular handheld email device and similar devices.Of course, users of computer keyboards--including many users of the Atex publishing system--have spent years unsuccessfully trying to sue over carpal tunnel injuries incurred from nonergonomic setups and typing on uphill keyboards. (So employers have that going for them.)

But carpal tunnel is quite real, and it's pretty painful. I know. So while you might be safe from lawsuits, you still should take some steps to keep those worker bees healthy enough to keep working, which in our industry more often than not, means typing away on some device.

According to some reports, the repetitive motion involved in using BlackBerrys, which requires typing with your thumbs, and other handheld with tiny or awkward keyboards, is particularly bad. The overreliance on your thumbs to type is trouble enough, but the fact that mobile handheld devices by definition are not being used in a normal office setting--on a flat, appropriate-height desk--contributes greatly to this budding problem.

Not that this will give most users pause. Many people are as addicted to their handhelds as they are to their cell phones--they want their email and their data, and they want it now, wherever that might find them. Which means few will be parted from the very devices that are giving them a pain in the hand, wrist, and elbows.

Not to panic, though. Just as the industry developed ergonomic standards for desktop computing in response to repetitive strain injuries, so too are guidelines emerging for the all-thumbs crowd.

For example, you might want to check out the American Physical Therapy Association, which has released a series of hand exercises that can reduce the chances of developing "BlackBerry thumb."

Or, you could just counsel users to give the ole' BlackBerry a rest every now and then.

Kidding! I know that's not going to happen. After all, I have already undergone (fairly successful) carpal tunnel surgery on one hand, and even knowing I'm going have to do the other hand as well, you'll still have to pry the keyboard from my cold, numb, tingling fingers before I'd switch to (shudder) manual writing or the annoying choices in voice-activated systems out there. I love word processing!

So I know what you are up against. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Ah, if only I'd had the ergonomic set ups way back when that I have now...

So silly as it may sound, don't slough this one off. IT should be teaming up with HR and spreading the word on preventive care. And as for all you thumb pounders and handheld users, take it seriously. Type away, but take steps to give yourself a break, because if you don't, you're going to find yourself frustrated by nights of pain and hands that just won't do what they used to do.

Are you a BlackBerry, Treo, or Sidekick devote? Can you feel the effects on your hands and arms, and are you taking any steps to mitigate the impact of your usage of these devices? Do you think companies should be sued over injuries incurred from using these devices? Let me know by posting a comment below.