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Could Your Blackberry Be Damaging Your Thumbs?

Sammy at Palm Addict writes "According to the BBC, Regular Blackberry use 'could damage thumbs', experts warn. Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning. Sales of the £200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. But US and UK doctors said repetitive use could cause arthritis or harm tendons in the thumb. Research in Motion, which manufactures the Blackberry, said it would not comment on the claims."

234 comments

  1. Thumb Damage by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Interesting
    According to the BBC, Regular Blackberry use 'could damage thumbs', experts warn. ... But US and UK doctors said repetitive use could cause arthritis or harm tendons in the thumb.

    And years ago I got a GyroMouse which required the right thumb to press mouse buttons and was definitely less strain that the index finger pushing down all the time. Maybe I should be glad I'm back to an old-stlye mouse. Meanwhile, how about millions of people using their thumbs on all those Game Boys and such? Are we headed for an epidemic of arthritic thumbs? It could make tobacco settlements look tame.

    celebrities such as David Beckham using them.

    He doesn't need his thumbs anyway.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Thumb Damage by kylegordon · · Score: 4, Funny

      He doesn't need his thumbs anyway.
      Isn't his brain in one of them?

    2. Re:Thumb Damage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In communist russia, the thumb damages you.

    3. Re:Thumb Damage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He doesn't need his thumbs anyway?

      How else can he communicate with his mistresses? ;)

    4. Re:Thumb Damage by fireduck · · Score: 2, Informative

      Meanwhile, how about millions of people using their thumbs on all those Game Boys and such? Are we headed for an epidemic of arthritic thumbs?

      I can speak from personal experience that long term gameboy play does indeed put some serious stress/strain on my hand and thumb. After periods of continually using my GBA (say a cross country flight, 6-8 hour timeframe), the combination of repeated thumb movements and the way in which I hold the GBA gives me some serious aching and weakness in my thumb joint. It takes a couple of days away from the GBA before my hand is back to normal, so I've severly limited the amount of time I spend on it at one sitting, because of the possiblity of repetitive stress injuries.

    5. Re:Thumb Damage by brianosaurus · · Score: 1

      It all depends on the person and ergonomics. I had always thought I was invulnerable to repetitive stress and carpal tunnel. Then we got a "Space Duel" arcade machine at work, and after getting high scores in all modes, my wrists were killing me. It was all buttons, and anytime I played for a while, the pain returned. So I quit playing.

      I've never had a pain issue with any other devices: keyboards, mice, trackballs, thumb keyboards (on motorol pagers, blackberries, Sidekick, PDAs), game console controllers, etc., and (like probably many, many other geeks) my ergonomics are horrible. I rest my wrists on the desk. I recline with the keyboard in my lap.

      I do sometimes get tired or achy feelings when I get a new device, but not pain. IANAD, but like any new exercise, your body has to get used to it. When you get a new game, its natural to want to play it for, like, 72 hours straight, but overdoing it is how you get hurt.

      RSI pain is definitely different than the "good kind" of aching.

      --
      blog
    6. Re:Thumb Damage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He doesn't need his thumbs anyway.

      --Isn't his brain in one of them?


      He doesn't need no brain either

    7. Re:Thumb Damage by Moofie · · Score: 1

      Exactly.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    8. Re:Thumb Damage by malarkey · · Score: 1

      Don't you mean:

      Isn't his thumb stuck up his brain?

    9. Re:Thumb Damage by myrnaS88 · · Score: 1

      I can only imagine what the user's manual for a Blackberry will look like someday (someone's bound to bring a suit).

      "WARNING ... Tapping too much with your thumbs can cause injury."

      Ever read the product information that you get when you purchase everyday household appliances? The manual for my hairdryer says: "Warning. Do not use while sleeping."

      Hmmmm.... This begs a lot of questions.

      What IS clear is that someone did something common sense dictates against and then needed someone else to blame. Just wait.

  2. FUD? by fembots · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The finding seems to be about the difference between thumbs and fingers, and the fact that thumbs are not designed to be tapping away for prolonged period.

    However, why is it targeting Blackberry only? I would imagine this HP4350 and many other devices will give similar problems.

    Next time they'll find most Roman emperors died of Occupational Overuse Syndrome because they kept using their thumbs on gladiators or lions.

    1. Re:FUD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting


      The finding seems to be about the difference between thumbs and fingers, and the fact that thumbs are not designed to be tapping away for prolonged period.

      about 6 years ago I was diagnosed with de Quervains thanks, of course, years of typing. The doctor was going to get me in surgery. A friend recommended a split keyboard and within a few weeks the pain was pretty much gone. I swear by them now, they saved me from being operated upon.

    2. Re:FUD? by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1
      However, why is it targeting Blackberry only? I would imagine this HP4350 and many other devices will give similar problems.

      As well as Sony, Nintendo, and MS any other console game machine.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    3. Re:FUD? by BoomerSooner · · Score: 1

      The article was focusing on the Blackberry because its popularity (1.3 million units in the UK alone). I'm concerned after reading the article about repetitive stress injury to my thumbs from playing video games (from Atari 2600 to my XBox). Damn you FIFA 2005!!!!

    4. Re:FUD? by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 1

      The finding seems to be about the difference between thumbs and fingers, and the fact that thumbs are not designed to be tapping away for prolonged period.

      Was *ANY* part of the hand designed to be tapping for prolonged periods? AFAIK "tapping" hasn't been involved in evolution - unless we see fossils of primates and primitive keyboards in archaeological studies.

      I'm 28yo, and have been using computers since I was 8. I can't use the keyboard for much time without feeling pain in my fingers, and my mouse has really screwed up my right index finger.
      Even writing something on paper gets my hand exhausted. Had people known about this 20 years ago...

    5. Re:FUD? by kevinx · · Score: 2, Funny

      They forgot to mention that if you hold it next to your head you may grow a tumor.

    6. Re:FUD? by merlin_jim · · Score: 1

      Next time they'll find most Roman emperors died of Occupational Overuse Syndrome because they kept using their thumbs on gladiators or lions.

      It can be assumed that using your thumb on a lion, in any manner, is an inherently dangerous activity...

      --
      I am disrespectful to dirt! Can you see that I am serious?!
    7. Re:FUD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go to a doctor. If you value your hands.

    8. Re:FUD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Especially if you stick it right up is arsehole. That'll really piss him off.

    9. Re:FUD? by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      I think it *may* have merit if it uses the really hard to press buttons that my mobile phone has. But if thumb use was claimed to be damaging in general, it would have come up long ago with varying gaming controllers. Again, those buttons are noticibly lighter on the touch than a lot of mobile phones that I've tried.

    10. Re:FUD? by Ubergrendle · · Score: 2

      Notice the fact that there's no scientific study conducted and no definitive examples cited? A whole article consisting only of medical conjecture based on qualitative experience. If I read an article with more 'might', 'maybe's, or 'theoretically's, I would have assumed it was a Rumsfeld press release.

      Bad journalism, bad article, bad slashdot posting decision.

      --
      John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?"
    11. Re:FUD? by xRelisH · · Score: 1

      The only difference I see here is that most people using BB's are older people, and may be more succeptable to these sorts of conditions.
      I'm probably wrong here, but I agree with you, there are lots of other things that can cause the same symptoms like certain cellphones.

    12. Re:FUD? by brianosaurus · · Score: 1

      Exactly. Its the same reason most articles about PVRs simply refer to them as "Tivo", even when ReplayTV was still a viable competitor (you know, before they were sold to ... whoever, i forget... and bent over for the studios).

      The media gets their favorite, and runs with it.

      --
      blog
    13. Re:FUD? by databyss · · Score: 1

      Tapping, definately not, but the motion the finger uses during typing is a natural one for which the hand has evolved... wrapping around things, digging, climbing. Not exactly made for typing, but close enough to get by.

      The thumb, anthropologically speaking, is not a finger. It's evolutionary features are a sustained powerful grip, not rapid up and down action. Our thumb tendons are not equipped for repeditive-speedy motions.

      I'm a few years shy of your age, and have been using computers since about 8 also. The only area I feel any pain from typing is in my wrists.

      If your fingers are feeling pain I'd suggest going to the doctor, also I suggest picking up a hobby that involves strenghtening your fingers, such as playing guitar or something similar.

      --
      Hmmm witty sig or funny sig? Maybe elitest techy sig!
    14. Re:FUD? by phoenix42 · · Score: 1

      several hundred years ago, you were lucky to live past 50. It's only recently that we've begun to have the life span to acquire these really long term repetitive stress injuries.

      --
      forty-two
    15. Re:FUD? by Abnormal+Coward · · Score: 1

      I am 28 too, and I've been using computers since about the same age. The only problem I get is a sore shouder.

      This is from playing to far to much quake at uni ( 4-6 hrs solid with no breaks ) and playing sports like I am superman, I got rather badly banged up againest a wall playing uni-hockey. My right shoulder took a rather nasty hit :(

      I think I get around the wrist and sore fingers problems because I played the guitar and piano from about 13'ish which has strengthed up my wrists and fingers.

    16. Re:FUD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was a hitchhiker for 20 years. My thumb hurts every day.

      Who can I sue? There has to be someone to whom I can point the finger of blame.

    17. Re:FUD? by Lodragandraoidh · · Score: 1

      I started to get recurring bouts of mild tendinitis in my wrists after more than 20 years of typing and video games. It didn't get to the point of me needing surgery but the recurring nature of it made me look into split keyboards. As you say, I have not had any pain since; everyone thinks I'm crazy for using them ("I can't type on them", is usually the response I get from others), but I have now retrofitted my office and home with split keyboards over the past 2 years, and I won't turn back.

      Now, if we can just get a split keyboard that has spring-loaded 'clicky' keyboards (like keys on the IBM selectric typewriter - or Toshiba 1200 laptop) so I don't feel like I'm typing on a piece of cardboard all day long (I am thinking I am going to have to buy a regular old keyboard and saw it in half...)

      --

      Lodragan Draoidh
      The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain
    18. Re:FUD? by SoSueMe · · Score: 1

      Looking for split keyboards with normal key travel?
      Try ergocanada for examples.
      They're a bit pricy, but it's Canadian $'s.

      No, I don't work there. I work in Adaptive Computer Technology support. We've had some positive results with these.

    19. Re:FUD? by Shalda · · Score: 1

      I had this problem as a child playing too much Nintendo. But I gave my thumbs a rest and I got over it.

    20. Re:FUD? by woobieman29 · · Score: 1
      I may have the perfect keyboard for you, if you can find one...

      I am currently typing this post from what is IMHO the best keyboard ever made. It is a Lexmark/IBM model M15 circa 1995. It has the wonderful "clicky" IBM keyboard feel with the positive feedback keystroke. It is a full split KB that can be positioned in just about any way you can imagine, and as an added bonus the 10-key is a separate unit connected by a cable so that you can move it out of the way and put your mouse/trackball closer to the center of your body so that your arm isn't angled out away from your centerline. This reduces stress on your mouse arm quite substantially if you are right-handed. I have used this keyboard as my primary 'board since 1995 and it is still as good as new - armored tanks should be put together this well. If you like the feel of the "Old School" IBM workhorse keyboards but desire an ergonomic split model, you will think you've died and gone to heaven when you try this 'board.

      I just found a link to a place that has some pictures and information on one that they 'had' for sale.

      Good luck finding one! This thing has been a lifesaver for me - I was starting to have carpal tunnel symptoms when I got it and all problems have COMPLETELY VANISHED using this keyboard. I just wish that some enterprising company would buy the rights to start reproducing them...

      --
      \/\/oobie
    21. Re:FUD? by xihr · · Score: 1

      Yeah, this is pretty goofy. Come on, any repetitive stress can cause damage. There's nothing particularly special about the Blackberry in this regard. Playing too much video games or sitting at a desk all day filling out forms or continually lifting heavy, awkward boxes can be the cause of this.

      That they even admit that there are no known cases shows how the news item is pretty contentless.

    22. Re:FUD? by batemanm · · Score: 1
      I'm 28yo, and have been using computers since I was 8. I can't use the keyboard for much time without feeling pain in my fingers, and my mouse has really screwed up my right index finger.

      I've been using computer for over 20 years and I've never had any of the problems with RSI etc. Do you do any form of exercise? I used to do play a lot of tenis but now I mainly go to the gym and go running/rowing/cycling sometimes. I was just wondering if that is what has kept my hand RSI free.

    23. Re:FUD? by Lodragandraoidh · · Score: 1

      Ebay, perhaps?

      I don't use 10-key anyway - actually using the number/special character keys on the top row (some folks swear by 10-key - I don't like to take my fingers off the home row).

      Thanks for the info.

      --

      Lodragan Draoidh
      The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain
    24. Re:FUD? by woobieman29 · · Score: 1

      FYI - the 10-key thingy can also be removed.

      --
      \/\/oobie
  3. Bunch of crazy alarmists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Next thing they'll be saying is "smoking causes cancer." Give me a break with your "science!"

    1. Re:Bunch of crazy alarmists by Kenja · · Score: 1
      "Next thing they'll be saying is "smoking causes cancer."

      Naw, it causes preterm births. Says so right on the package.

      "Tobacco use during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth"

      So I dont need to worry unless I'm pregnant, which would be a problem in itself giving my gender.

      --

      "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    2. Re:Bunch of crazy alarmists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Smoking cigarettes causes cancer. Smoking in general has not been proven to cause cancer.

  4. How is this... by Jace+of+Fuse! · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How is this any different from any other mobile device, remote control, game controller, or similar item which has buttons we press repeatedly?

    (First Post?)

    --

    "Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"

    Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
    1. Re:How is this... by persaud · · Score: 1

      All thumbs are equal, but some thumbs are more important than others.

    2. Re:How is this... by CrankyFool · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Frequency of use.

      I've got a remote control. To watch TV, I:
      A) Push a button to turn the receiver and TV on;
      B) Push a button to go into 'TV mode'
      C) Press 'Guide button'
      D) Press 'up/down' to go up/down pages;
      E) Press 'Enter' to pick a channel.

      So that's somewhere between 4 (D is not required, potentially, if something interesting is already playing) and ... 30, maybe, keystrokes if I have to go into the 'recorded shows' mode?

      Then, during normal operation, I barely use the remote control, every once in a while maybe adjusting volume slightly or picking a different channel.

      Now, write a decent-length response to an email on a RIM. How many keystrokes was that again?

    3. Re:How is this... by YaRness · · Score: 1

      All thumbs are equal, but some thumbs are more important than others.

      a steve oedekerk reference?

    4. Re:How is this... by quanticle · · Score: 1

      More like a George Orwell reference...

      --
      We all know what to do, but we don't know how to get re-elected once we have done it
    5. Re:How is this... by baudilus · · Score: 1

      Because this is the first time someone's referred to Blackberries as "trendy."

      Now this is trendy!

    6. Re:How is this... by Alomex · · Score: 2, Funny

      But that is because you are a girl. The average man on the other hand changes channels an average of 8 times per minute.

    7. Re:How is this... by Tim+Browse · · Score: 1

      What, the URL itself? I'd have to agree with that.

      • Far too long - check!
      • Contains the word 'flash' - check!
      • Pointless line noise encoded in CGI parameter - check!

      Awesome! :-)

    8. Re:How is this... by koakapo · · Score: 1

      I've wondered this question for some while - it's not different, just how long till the first cases of OOS come about through texting and then how long until all phones come with a warning label - less than 10 years till the first seccessfull prosecution? Potentially rings of the tobacco industry to my mind...

      --
      ----- Every day we get up and make the choice that the thing we are doing is the most valuable use of our time. -----
    9. Re:How is this... by generic-man · · Score: 1

      That's it: I'm going to start filtering all my URLs through HugeURL just for you. :)

      --
      For more information, click here.
    10. Re:How is this... by MustardMan · · Score: 1

      Speaking as a man, I can think of something else I do can only do 8 times, which takes roughly as minute, after which I'm ready for a nap.

      I wonder why I'm single...

    11. Re:How is this... by YaRness · · Score: 1

      yes, animal farm, i get that.

      i was wondering if anyone got my reference though :P

      (also i was wondering if the line was ever said in those movies)

  5. damage your what! by 53cur!ty · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Just like Raspberries can damage your tongue! Check it out...

  6. What can RIM say? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Unlike the Merck or Phillip Morris companies, one would have a hard time proving that RIM knew of this risk and decided to put such a harmful product on the market.

  7. Theysaidthiswithgameboystoo.. by datastalker · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...andmythumbsarefine.Justlook,Ihavenoproblemswith typing.

    1. Re:Theysaidthiswithgameboystoo.. by AwaxSlashdot · · Score: 0

      oops, you just didn't manage to skip all thoses spaces : the last one survived :-)

      --
      Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
  8. Blackberries don't damage thumbs by A+nonymous+Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    People damage thumbs.

    1. Re:Blackberries don't damage thumbs by gstoddart · · Score: 1
      People damage thumbs.


      Yeah, people with Blackberries. =)

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  9. Oh well... by mrjb · · Score: 1

    I guess its back to playing pacman then.

    --
    Visit http://ringbreak.dnd.utwente.nl/~mrjb/growingbettersoftware to download your free copy of the book
  10. Seems they took a lot of time... by Goronmon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seems they took a lot of time and effort to basically say...

    "Using your thumbs a lot might make them sore at some point in time."

    Like someone else mentioned, its silly that are focusing on one product that will cause this. Almost makes you wonder who got the idea to do this article.

    1. Re:Seems they took a lot of time... by Gyorg_Lavode · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I can tell you exactly who got an idea for this. Someone thought, *shit, they're going to give me a blackberry at work and I really don't want that leash* and thought of this. The next time my boss says he wants me to get a blackberry, I'm sending him this link. I will avoid that thing like the plague. There is no email that I need to get when I am not in the office. If they want to get me, they can take the trouble of calling.

      --
      I do security
    2. Re:Seems they took a lot of time... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What do you have against " 's?!!!

    3. Re:Seems they took a lot of time... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you should probably add another exclamation point to let him know you're really serious.

    4. Re:Seems they took a lot of time... by Feanturi · · Score: 1

      Yep, I don't think it could be any worse than the Intellivision controller, with those thumb-buttons on the sides, and the disc you would also work with your thumb. Certain games, like Space Hawk, made those buttons particularly important and well-used. I would go to sleep with both thumbs just pulsing. I've got thumb problems today, but for different reasons. I borrowed a bicycle from someone, a 10-speed with those sort of 'rams horn' handlebars that were just too low for me, couldn't be made any higher, and after one hour of riding it (round trip) I wound up with steady pain in my thumbs for several months, and something like arthritis in them for the past 5 years now. The Intellivision got way more hours of use and never came close to providing anything like that, the pain would be quite reasonable-to-gone within a day or so. But I'll bet it was harder on the thumbs than a blackberry would be, unless you're gaming on the thing I guess.. Point is, there's quite a few ways you can be bad to your body, it's silly to just pick on one particular thing and make it sound all alarming. There's much worse out there. I mean, can you believe some of us put burning sticks in our mouths to breathe the smoke? What the hell is that all about? I've finally stopped doing that after doing it for about 15 years, and already I am finding myself seriously wondering what the hell I had been thinking all that time.

  11. My PC is damaging my wrist by gelfling · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you know what I mean.

    Seriously, doctors in the UK need to take chill pill. It seems every day some Royal Academy of Whatchamacalit is pontificating on the dangers of everything.

    1. Re:My PC is damaging my wrist by Ingolfke · · Score: 1

      I agree... we need an everything damages something category here on Slashdot.

    2. Re:My PC is damaging my wrist by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 1

      Blame America for this. With the current lawsuit culture from the US spreading doctors etc. get commisioned b companies to find this out so they can put a warning on the box. Personally I've been gaming since I was 4 (and today I just turned 19) and my thumbs have no problems, if anything they are better then most peoples

      --
      I like muppets.
    3. Re:My PC is damaging my wrist by FCAdcock · · Score: 1

      Blame america! seriously, we should do this for everything. When an iraqi dictator gasses his own people, blame america. When a frenchman farts, blame america. When a scientist in England tells us that a product mainly used in europe and asia is potentially dangerous, blame america. What next, someone's gonna get sick off of the water in Mexico and it's our fauly as well?

      bite me! It's not america's fault if you're too dumb to know that what you're doing is not healthy or is dagerous. It's yours. Take responsability for your own actions, and quit blaming others for your ignorance.

      --
      --Forest C. Adcock--
    4. Re:My PC is damaging my wrist by mordors9 · · Score: 1

      No No No.... doing that does not damage your wrist. It either makes you go blind or grows hair on your palm. I am trying to start a class action suit for all blind hairy palmed slashdotters.

    5. Re:My PC is damaging my wrist by jacksonj04 · · Score: 1

      I must object to this, although I see your point.

      The grandparent was talking about 'claim culture', a definate US import of suing for everything under the sun. Sue McDonalds for making you fat. Sue rollerblade manufacturers for falling off. Sue kitchen knife manufacturers for "not knowing the edge would be sharp since there wasn't a warning".

      Blaming America is almost a sport in the UK, but this one is actually a sensible point. Claim culture is a US import, and it's nothing but a waste of time and the reason people need to be warned about everything.

      --
      How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
    6. Re:My PC is damaging my wrist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Pontificating"? That sounds dangerous. Maybe we should ban it.

    7. Re:My PC is damaging my wrist by generic-man · · Score: 1

      What the international press never reports is that most of those lawsuits are filed by publicity-seeking lawyers, and that most of them get thrown out before they even go to trial. Of those that do go to trial, the vast majority never result in a monetary award for the plaintiff. The humongous "punitive damages" awards never get paid out in the amounts that you'd like to believe they are.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    8. Re:My PC is damaging my wrist by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 1

      the problem starts when you get sued. Win or lose it costs you money, plus it looks bad for you to get sued because people will think you did something wrong even if you didn't

      So maybe they dont pay out but lawyers cost more then 2 extra words on a box.

      --
      I like muppets.
    9. Re:My PC is damaging my wrist by Afrosheen · · Score: 1

      That'd be cool, but what would the icon be? A sniper reticle aimed at a question mark? A huge globe falling onto a tiny ant?

  12. How is this different from game controllers? by Meostro · · Score: 2, Interesting

    How is a Blackberry any different than your average game controller? I remember the old-school Nintendo nothing (not 64, Super, etc.) had the most painful control pad i've ever used, I'd get "The Claw" from playing it for more than a couple hours.

    1. Re:How is this different from game controllers? by grub · · Score: 1

      On most gamepads the buttons are directly under the thumbs. On a blackberry you have to extend and flex the thumbs quite a bit more.

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    2. Re:How is this different from game controllers? by flyboy974 · · Score: 1

      I used my fingertips on the old Nintendo square controllers... It let me kick ass at Pro Wrestling. But, the new controllers don't lend themselves very well to that style.

      A neighbor kid (he wasn't too bright) always thought that the harder you pushed the button on Excite Bike that the faster you would go. He ended up breaking the controller one day by standing on it. Who the hell would have known that we have analog buttons now

      If people complain about getting a sore thumb from a blackberry, we should make them play Halo2 all day and see how they feel!

    3. Re:How is this different from game controllers? by UWC · · Score: 2, Insightful
      A month or so ago I was playing a PS2 game (I think it was Jak II), and I noticed that the outside edge of my hands at the base of my thumbs were hurting to a surprising degree. I guess it was the fairly wide range of motion required by the analog thumbsticks combined with the fact that I probably had the muscles tensed. Regardless, I was massaging my hands for quite a while after finishing that mission and turning off the PS2.

      I'll attribute that to the fact that the thumbstick locations on the PS2 controller are pretty much crap. At my desk just now, I put my hands in the positions required to use the stick with the thumbs and still have finger access to the shoulder buttons, and my thumbs were already extended from the resting position. The Gamecube controller and XBox S controller put the primary analog stick and shoulder buttons in much more natural positions.

    4. Re:How is this different from game controllers? by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "How is a Blackberry any different than your average game controller?"

      The buttons are farther apart on any given game controller, requiring less flexing to actually push them. I useta have a little email pager with a KB similar to a BlackBerry. That thing was far more painful than any of my controllers, Nintendo or otherwise.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    5. Re:How is this different from game controllers? by bcattwoo · · Score: 1

      I think the most painful game playing experience had to be the "Decathalon" game on Atari (or if your parents had to be different, Colecovision). There was one race on there, I don't remember if it was 5K, 10K, or what, but you had to keep vigorously rocking the controller back and forth continuously for several minutes. I realize that most slashdotters can handle those types of hand motions with ease now, but as a little kid it was tough!

    6. Re:How is this different from game controllers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, I remember that game! I beat it when I was 13!

  13. Isn't this just a new variation of Nintendo thumb? by PornMaster · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seems a bit nuts to go all Doomsday about this when kids use their thumbs 6 hours a day playing console video games... and when their thumbs hurt, they stop. You don't see GenXers walking around with crippled thumbs, do you?

  14. Okay, then. by FuturePastNow · · Score: 1

    He said he had not heard of any cases to date however.

    Let me know when millions of video-game playing American teenagers develop osteoarthritis. This is a BS study- prolonged anything can potentially hurt you.

    --
    Give a man fire, and you warm him for the night. Set a man on fire, and you warm him for the rest of his life.
  15. Also of interest... by YodaToo · · Score: 1

    ...researchers have found that excessive "spanking your blackberry" can cause blindness.

  16. What about the thumb mutation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  17. I thought it meant picking blackberries by CrazyJim1 · · Score: 1

    And of course you need to look out for thorns, they'll really tear up your thumbs if you're not careful

  18. For most people here... by GillBates0 · · Score: 1

    the risk of damaging their thumbs from other "regular activities" greatly outweighs the risk posed by Blackberry use.

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
  19. Quick Summary by mopslik · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1) A handful of researchers think that using your Blackberry "repeatedly" might cause thumb damage.

    2) There have been no reported cases of said damage yet.

    That's pretty much it. A lot of "The Blackberry could..." talk, but little else.

    1. Re:Quick Summary by garcia · · Score: 1

      1) A handful of researchers think that using your Blackberry "repeatedly" might cause thumb damage.

      But text messaging doesn't cause such damage because you are limited to how much you can send... I guess.

      Personally I have found that after only a few days (about 5 or 6) I became quite comfortable using my thumbpad device and honestly I find a lot less hand pain than I do when using my regular computer.

      Wasn't there some initial research that showed Asian users were going to have stronger thumbs because of their usage during texting? That it might eventually become like their pointer finger? Like using it to run a door bell instead?

    2. Re:Quick Summary by mopslik · · Score: 1

      Personally I have found that after only a few days (about 5 or 6) I became quite comfortable using my thumbpad device

      I've only used a Blackberry a handful of times, myself, so I'm not entirely sure how long-term use would affect my thumbs. But I had a Nintendo as a kid, and only after several hours of intense playing did my thumbs get mildly sore.

      I can't imagine anyone typing for hours on a Blackberry. Even your average teeny-ma-bopper stops to eat every once in a while.

    3. Re:Quick Summary by lilmouse · · Score: 1
      A lot of "The Blackberry could..." talk, but little else.
      30 years ago, breathing a lot of asbestos might cause lung damage... The thing is, it's hard to repair such damage when it's been done, so you generally want to err on the side of caution... Not too much caution, of course - you do need a life.

      Of course, I'm typing this in a chair/desk setup that should gaurentee that I have carpel tunnel in two years...

      --LWM
  20. hmm.. by ImTheDarkcyde · · Score: 1

    Sounds a little bit like that movie The Jerk

    1. Re:hmm.. by dr_dank · · Score: 1

      Bend it Like Beckham is more like it.

      --
      Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
  21. Isn't evolution grand... by cryogenix · · Score: 1

    I'm that if we use the crackberries long enough that evolution will mutate our opposable thumbs into something capable of dealing with it... Who knows, by then maybe RIM will have finally reached a settlement in it's lawsuits against it in court.

    1. Re:Isn't evolution grand... by bersl2 · · Score: 1

      I'm that if we use the crackberries long enough

      Either lay off the crackberries, or have more of them; you're not making sense as it is.

    2. Re:Isn't evolution grand... by cryogenix · · Score: 1

      Treo 600 baby....

    3. Re:Isn't evolution grand... by cryogenix · · Score: 1

      DOH! That should have read "I'm sure that....." One missing word :)

  22. Red Meat... by cybermint · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ...will KILL you!

    1. Re:Red Meat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not off topic, moron.

  23. This just in by FunWithHeadlines · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Any continuous repetitive motion involving the pressing of fingers or thumbs to electronic buttons of any kind on any device can lead to medical injury if done too often.

    There. That just saved us years of research and tens of millions of dollars. Please remit 10% of that to me for my valuable input.

  24. Celebrities? Is it just me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Who is 'David Beckham'?


    I've never heard of him, what is he famous for?

    1. Re:Celebrities? Is it just me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same here... ?

      And what is a "Blackberry"? Is that from putting your thumb somewhere it don't belong?

    2. Re:Celebrities? Is it just me... by baudilus · · Score: 2, Informative

      He's a wildly famous football player in Britain. [soccer, for us Americans] He's also married to some Spice Girl. The paparazzi love him.

    3. Re:Celebrities? Is it just me... by Bootsy+Collins · · Score: 1

      He's the most famous athlete in the world. (yes, more than Jordan) That said, he sucks. (yes, that's an opinion)

  25. I found the blackberry to be no more damaging... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...to my thumbs than excessive and even near-continuous masturbation. As a matter of fact, I can now lift over 150lbs with my thumbs alone.

  26. £200 by dfn5 · · Score: 1
    Um, in English please? ;-)

    --
    -- Thou hast strayed far from the path of the Avatar.
    1. Re:£200 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      erm... I think that it is already in "English".

    2. Re:£200 by SoSueMe · · Score: 1

      In English it's £200.
      In American it's $376.62 USD

  27. Someone think of the Tivo users by aardwolf204 · · Score: 1

    "Really you should not be making more than a few hundred thumb movements a day, so that does not amount to that many words when you think about it."

    We can only hope that with Tivo's new SDK some developer will write a patch to the widely successful "thumbs-up / thumbs-down" system which is causing us all so much pain.

    I for one welcome our new bird flicking Tivo overlords.

    --
    Im dreaming ofa big bndwdth, That can resist the /.crowd.May ur days b merry & bright & may al
  28. And typing at a keyboard by abb3w · · Score: 1

    ...increases risk of carpal tunnel. Looks like a job for....

    --
    //Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
    1. Re:And typing at a keyboard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      wow... thats horrible.

  29. carpalthumbbull syndrome? by kevinx · · Score: 1

    Not another one of these cry baby medical conditions. Oh well, maybe it's true.... As long as I can still use my middle finger, I'm ok.

  30. RSI by scarolan · · Score: 1

    Any repetitive motion that you make with your hands can cause repetitive stress injury. Let the fapping jokes ensue. . . .

    All kidding aside - why is this news? You can get RSI from video games, playing violin, playing tennis, computer keyboard, etc.

  31. Errrr by boschmorden · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Who the hell is David Beckham?

    1. Re:Errrr by Goronmon · · Score: 1

      Soccer superstar over in Europe...you know "Bend in like Beckham" and stuff like that?

    2. Re:Errrr by lateralus_1024 · · Score: 1

      He's an English Soccer player who is married to an ex-spice girl(posh?). They're stalked like royalty by the English press. He's a talented soccer player and gets a ton of endorsements. You know how those euro's love their "football".

      --
      If you think /. comments are bad, check out Digg.
  32. The real reason: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yep, slow news day.

  33. Duh by mkop · · Score: 2, Funny

    Doing something over and over again is almost always not good for you.
    There are a few exceptions though...

  34. obvious answer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Could Your Blackberry Be Damaging Your Thumbs?

    Yes, it could.

  35. No problem for Slashdot Crowd by Peter+Lustig · · Score: 1

    Because there fingers are already crippled by jerking off too much :-)

    1. Re:No problem for Slashdot Crowd by Peter+Lustig · · Score: 1

      Oooops, should be: Because their fingers are already crippled by jerking off too much :-)

    2. Re:No problem for Slashdot Crowd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Were your fingers crippled?

  36. Re:Michael admits to having no journalistic ethics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    Michael Froomkin == Michael Sims?

    You sure about that?

  37. If this were the case... by Hangtime · · Score: 2, Insightful

    my hand should be totally numb and unfunctioning given the amount of Nintendo I grew up playing. Yawn. Move-on.

  38. Clearly, there is only one thing we can do. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SUE NINTENDO.

    What? [url=http://nintendo.gamerfeed.com/gf/news/5704/]I t seems to be the solution to everything else.[/url]

    1. Re:Clearly, there is only one thing we can do. by lateralus_1024 · · Score: 1

      I'm a part of a class action lawsuit against the original NES and the game Track and Field.
      I still have flashbacks of the 200meter hurdles.

      --
      If you think /. comments are bad, check out Digg.
  39. Darnit by phorm · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And here I just ditched my notebook to avoid possible wrist damage and crotch-burn, now you're telling me I need to dump my PDA too?!

    Seriously though, it's an issue of being smart about how you use such things. Give your wrist a rest, let your thumbs hang loose every now and then, and take the notebook off your lap before it gets hot enough to impair your child-producing abilities!

    I haven't heard of anyone sueing keyboard manufacturers over RSI recently, so a little "Some experts believe that regular use of this device may cause thumb strain" should likely be sufficient.

  40. Re:Isn't this just a new variation of Nintendo thu by 0racle · · Score: 1

    Your supposed to stop when it hurts? Oh....

    --
    "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
  41. Banging by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I've never heard of him, what is he famous for?

    A. Banging a Spice Girl.

    B. Banging a non-Spice Girl.

  42. I use the Mac Blackberry by deft · · Score: 5, Funny

    Because it only has one big button.

    --

    There's nothing Intelligent about Intelligent Design.
    1. Re:I use the Mac Blackberry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm so tired of these Mac Blackberry trolls. Don't you realize that the Mac Blackberry has supported multiple buttons for, like, seven years already? Just plug in any standard two-button input device and be done with it.

    2. Re:I use the Mac Blackberry by totoanihilation · · Score: 1

      Actually, it does have only one button.

    3. Re:I use the Mac Blackberry by burns210 · · Score: 1

      well, no, it has 5 buttons and a scroll wheel.

    4. Re:I use the Mac Blackberry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      im so tired of cowards that dont realize there was a huge article on slashdot yesterday about why macs only have one button,a nd that this is humor way over their heads. mod down parent.

  43. Wording To Make Fox News Proud! by devphaeton · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Cheggidout:

    1) Sammy at Palm Addict writes "According to the BBC, Regular Blackberry use 'could damage thumbs', experts warn.

    2) Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.

    3) But US and UK doctors said repetitive use could cause arthritis or harm tendons in the thumb

    If you ever watch Fox News you'll hear them do a lot of this- 5 minutes news spots where they simply say the same thing over and over, but with slight variations in wording. Usually it is all sensational hype with no content or evidence. What's funnier is to hear all the sheeple the next day repeating all of this in the same fashion as if it is fact. Well, it is funny in that horribly frightening sort of way, similar to how meteor jokes would be if they announced that the whole planet was going to be anhillated by a giant asteroid in 20 days.... :-D

    (i'm not picking on the article poster, btw- The subject of the article is very valid)

    Everyone scoff all you want about Repetetetetive Strain Injuries (RSI). It all seems so petty till it happens to you.

    --


    do() || do_not(); // try();
    1. Re:Wording To Make Fox News Proud! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you have a point hidden in there somewhere?

  44. gameboy by moultano · · Score: 1

    I had a gameboy for many years. Guess I'm fucked. :)

  45. But, but... by IANAAC · · Score: 1
    But wait...

    I thought that we were evolving, what with all the devices that need thumb use. I don't remember where I read it, but I read that the thumb was becoming the dominant digit of the human hand.

  46. Redundant article by Jerry+Smith · · Score: 1
    But US and UK doctors said repetitive use could cause arthritis or harm tendons in the thumb.

    This applies to textmessaging, slotmachines, heck: operating the guillotine with thumbs could, in the long run, give you arthritis etc.
    Wikipedia has a good link, though I'm afraid that too many of you are already aware of the syndrome:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetitive_strain_inj ury

    It might be incorporated in the FAQ: what to do in case of over-/.-ing

    --
    All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
  47. did they miss the 80's by gl4ss · · Score: 2, Funny

    and the NINTENDO THUMB?

    those 8bit nes controllers.. damn. they really suck.

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    1. Re:did they miss the 80's by toddestan · · Score: 1

      The NES controllers never bothered me, though they weren't as nice as the SNES. The worst I think is the N64 with the analog joystick. After some really long Perfect Dark/Goldeneye sessions, my left thumb would be throbbing.

  48. Re:Whittling by matguy · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Wouldn't whittling do the same thing... all them poor rednecks with tendonitis...

    --

    matguy(.com)
  49. obligatory simpsons by drunkasian · · Score: 0

    Willy: ...I have a cripplin' arthritis in me index fingerrrs. Look at 'em! [holds them up] I got it from "Space Invaders" in 1977.
    Wiggum: Aw, yeah. That was a pretty addictive video game.
    Willy: [surprised] Video game?

    SNPP

  50. old chinese medicine by WormholeFiend · · Score: 1

    Just head over to your nearest Chinese herbalist and ask for his best "dit da jow" herb mix.

    Let it soak in alcohol, then rub regularly on your affected soft tissues.

    I tore my plantar faciae once, and it healed in just abour 3 weeks, compared to the usual 6 months.

    I assume that it must work just as well with other tendons and connective tissues.

  51. if blackberry was problematic... by jxyama · · Score: 3, Interesting

    then i'm sure there would be reports of thumb problems in asia, especially japan, where people compulsively send SMS and emails using their cellphone/joystick. just take a ride in a japanese commuter train - since actually talking on the phone is considered disruptive and a public nuisance, people either text-message or play games on their cellphone.

    1. Re:if blackberry was problematic... by ttakah · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the number of heavy users (of cellphone mail) must be more than a million in Japan.
      And I have never heard a report about damaged thumbs though I hope so.
      Young people are reading / sending mail using their thumbs all day long, in train, in school, and on road.

      --
      "make" means "lose" in Japanese language.
    2. Re:if blackberry was problematic... by MidnightBrewer · · Score: 1

      "More than a million?" More like 90% of the adult population (Japan has the highest number of cell phones per capita in the world.) Also, the reason why people in Japan use SMS and email on their cell phones isn't because of concerns about rudeness, but simply to avoid the expensive call times (we don't get free nights and weekends here, or free anything else, for that matter.)

      I haven't noticed any thumb degredation from using my cell phone, although I do prefer typing in Japanese rather than English because it's faster (you type in syllables rather than letters, the language is less wordy in its casual form, and type-ahead is a wonderful thing.) I think this is just another research study intended to justify somebody's job at a university. Otherwise, they might have to start teaching to earn their keep, and then where would we be? ;)

      --
      "Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
    3. Re:if blackberry was problematic... by King_TJ · · Score: 1

      Good point.... but what's with all the backlash over talking on phones in public anyway?

      I was just at a Subway restaurant last week where they had a big sign up telling people that they wouldn't be served if they were talking on their phone while in line.

      A while ago, I was behind a guy grabbing a couple items at 7-11 while obviously trying to carry on some business over his cellphone, and the clerk complained about how much she hated that, etc. when I went to pay for my items.

      I've even had people make ridiculous efforts to pass me when I'm driving and give me nasty stares just because I was getting directions on my cellphone while driving (and wasn't driving any differently than I would be if I wasn't on the phone).

      What's the difference, really, between talking to the guy/gal next to you in the car or in line, and talking to someone on your cellphone? Seems to me people get all bent out of shape over nothing, most of the time.

      I'd find it much MORE annoying seeing people walking around staring at their little phone screens and keying things in. No way they're gonna pay attention to anything around them while doing that.

    4. Re:if blackberry was problematic... by laejoh · · Score: 0
      Like this?

      In Korea, only old people report thumb problems.
    5. Re:if blackberry was problematic... by danila · · Score: 1

      In fact the opposite may be true. There were news reports (can't find a link, msn it yourself) about Japanese having stronger and more developed thumbs because of constant training.

      --
      Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
  52. yep no doubt by NetMasta10bt · · Score: 1

    I think this could definitley be a problem.

    I've been using an IBM ThinkPad for a several years, and while I love the little 'pointer stick' type mouse, I've noticed my pointer finger developing 'slop' in between the joints of my finger tip from moving this little nubbin.

    My assumption is that the continued use and the pressure that I've used for many long hours of hack sessions has ground away at the bone.

    I've since been very concious of using less pressure.

    For background -- I'm 26y/o and in good health. I'd imagine older people, whose bones are more brittle, could have even more a problem with repititious actions with devices that were not thought about from a human perspective.

  53. internet bad for your wrists! by Thud457 · · Score: 1
    The doctor told me I had "tennis elbow".

    I don't play tennis, if you know what I mean.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:internet bad for your wrists! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shouldn't the doctor have told you that you had "carpal tunnel"?

      You may be doing it wrong. "Not playing tennis," that is...

  54. The answer is easy! by d34thm0nk3y · · Score: 4, Insightful

    uhh....yes. Do I get a prize?

    Seriously though. I love these "could x be harmful?" articles, the answer is always yes. If you do too much of ANYTHING it will be harmful. With that out of the way maybe we can stop jumping up and down and screaming what about the children every time one of these articles comes out...

    1. Re:The answer is easy! by eln · · Score: 1, Funny

      You're failing to think of the children again. Honestly, won't someone think of the children?

      In other news, research has been shown to cause cancer in lab rats. News at 11.

    2. Re:The answer is easy! by brianosaurus · · Score: 1

      Good thing all the US companies are cutting back on R&D. Maybe now only the Euro's and Asians will get cancer!

      Bush Politics 7, Rat Cancer 0

      --
      blog
    3. Re:The answer is easy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just tell them that jumping around and screaming could be harmful if done excessively.

    4. Re:The answer is easy! by The+Ur-Grue · · Score: 1

      Wow. Modded 'Troll'. Some poor mod out there is in desperate need of a sense of humor.

      --
      "Dead men are no longer interested in military history." -Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus
    5. Re:The answer is easy! by darrenf · · Score: 1

      I, for one, thought it was funny.

    6. Re:The answer is easy! by nitrocloud · · Score: 0

      Damnit! It's the kittens! Those poor fluffy kittens.

      --
      Karma: Good, or bust!
    7. Re:The answer is easy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're doing too much breathing - please stop it.

  55. opinion from a life time button masher by B00yah · · Score: 1

    I've spent a very good portion of my life mashing buttons with my thumbs. I have permanent callouses(sp?) on both my thumbs from the original nes pad, and the dreamcast controller did unimaginable things to my wrists.

    That being said, I've never actually had any muscle strain issues with my fingers (they call them fingers, but I never see them fing) when using my treo 600, gba:sp, ngage qd, or even my tetris watch. I could see someone who has never really spent a lifetime typing, gaming, or doing anything that requires dexteriy having issues, but if you've spent any decent (read: 30 hours/week) at a keyboard, gamepad, etc, won't have any issues...

    (oh, there they go!).

  56. You also can get thumb damage... by Shant3030 · · Score: 1

    By sticking it up your ass...

    --
    100% Insightful
    1. Re:You also can get thumb damage... by liquidsin · · Score: 1

      The worst that these clowns risk by sticking their thumbs up their asses is poking out an eye. Oh no, not a Nintendo Thumb epidemic!

      --
      do not read this line twice.
  57. Worry about pencil and pen usage first by cavemanf16 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It is far more painful (and quickly becomes painful at that) for me to try writing an extended amount of anything these days because I typically type almost everything. It is easier and requires less muscle manipulation to type letters and words and symbols using a keyboard than to hold a pencil or pen and actually form the letters, words, and symbols the "old" way. I would say all this repetitive stress injury syndrome crap is due to our increased workloads in Western civilization, not necessarily the fancy new tech gadgets. In the 1800's, one letter could take a week or more to write, send, and get a response to from loved ones or business colleagues. Today it's constant im's, emails, and blackberry messages going back and forth as fast as you can type. Let's face it, today's communication delays are 100% human and have little to do with the technological limits. It took me several minutes to type this crap out, but it takes 0.43 seconds to post it to slashdot. Chill out on the digital communications and you won't injure yourself. Don't chill out and live with the consequences.

  58. Squashing blackberries and baseless promotion by Anonymous+Cowherd+X · · Score: 0

    Try squashing a blackberry with your thumb and you'll see the doctors are right about Blackberry devices and RSI. And what kind of a reference is David Beckham? He doesn't even need thumbs to make millions!

  59. No problems here by Evil+W1zard · · Score: 1

    I lost my thumbs in an unfortunate smelting accident.

    --
    News Reporters Make Tasty Polar Bear Treats!
  60. Ahem . . . by Captoo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Somebody should tell these people that gratuitously pointing at the obvious can damage the index finger.

  61. Activision Laserblast damages thumbs - Atari Joyst by Emperor+Shaddam+IV · · Score: 1

    I once kept an Activision Lazerblast game going for a couple of hours. Supposedly, you could "Finish" the game by getting a score of 999,999. I also tryed to complete "Pitfall" on more than one occasion. In each case, it was not my skill in the game that was the limiting factor. It was the fact that my hands got so sweaty I could hardly hold the Atari 2600 joysticks. And my thumbs cramped up from repeatedly pressing the red fire button. Game boys and Blackberries are like Yoga compared to the old 2600 Joystick. Using that thing for 2 hours was a real workout!!!

  62. At least it is text mode only by tezza · · Score: 1

    If you could view pr0n... say with libPr0nLite, then you'd have wr3ck3d wr1sts and thuck3dthumbz.

    --
    [% slash_sig_val.text %]
  63. I doubt it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but then again, I don't own one.

  64. blackberry users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    given that most blackberry users i've seen are half wit managers. ya know, so their underlings are never without there wholey uninformed whims. quite honestly i hope extended usage causes them to break their fucking thumbs. and while we're at it, i hope their bluetooth uhura earpiece gives them all cancer.

  65. In other news.. by wfberg · · Score: 2, Funny

    Scientists report that riding a steam-train may be detrimental to your health as the unnatural speeds at which it moves might cut off the natural air supply to one's lungs.

    No such damage has been reported, but it's too early to tell, so best be careful out there, folks!

    --
    SCO employee? Check out the bounty
  66. Re:Isn't this just a new variation of Nintendo thu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, they all have crippled wrists.

  67. news flash! by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    life itself wears you down

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  68. The One-Button Mac Blackberry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My friend somehow got a prototype Mac Blackberry. It's screenless, like the iShuffle, but the problem is I can't seem to get it online. The weirdest thing is that when I use it, I keep hearing a motorized sound come from the garage..

  69. 7100 series by frieked · · Score: 1

    First off, why did they decide to single out the blackberry among all phones/pdas?

    Secondly, I would like to know the difference between the older blackberry's and the newer 7100 series which uses a kind of predictive text input but on a smaller keypad.

    --

    I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.
    -Xenocrates
    1. Re:7100 series by JhohannaVH · · Score: 1

      Well besides that they only have 20 keys to the ones on the 6130/7130's... they have the better color LCD screen than the 7130s. Everyone that we have handed them out to has turned them back in because they HATE the predictive writing, and the only 20 keys. I'm not sure what RIM was thinking when they designed these... are there any users out there that actually dig them?

      --
      Sorry man... the Internet pooped on me.
    2. Re:7100 series by frieked · · Score: 1

      I have the 7100t from t-mobile. I started out on this one so I don't really have anything to compare it to but after about a week of using it I got used to the predictive text and it doesn't really bother me at all.

      As for what they were thinking...they wanted to make it smaller and closer to a phone than a pda.

      --

      I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.
      -Xenocrates
  70. Re:Blackberries don't damage thumbs... by rob_squared · · Score: 1

    ...mob bosses do.

    --
    I don't get it.
  71. Re:WOOT Fp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What a freak! AT the very LEAST post a warning when you get this creative.

  72. I miss the days by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    when not paying my gambling debt was the major cause of thumb damage

  73. Hah! by MrZaius · · Score: 1

    You fools! You should have bought Zaurii with cellular modems. Those tiny keyboards are on a Linux-powered device.

    I have only to wait for the OZ patch that disables the thumb hurting, and then I'm back to writing my novel in the Hancom Word.

  74. Wha huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    *stops huffin blackberry fumes* damn can't even huff wild fruits anymore eh?

  75. Related Article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    From the related article, "Blackberry device is out of season"

    Using it for e-mails is a cinch, thanks to its built-in qwerty keyboard. The keys are on the small size but typing is relatively painless.

  76. Palm? by lbmouse · · Score: 1

    No but p0rn is damaging my palm.

  77. Intellivision & Grandma's Thumbs by shoolz · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My grandmother played her Intellivision so much that she actually had to have thumb surgery. Yes she had an Intellivision when she was 63 - cool grandma, no? She used to play Astrosmash and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, which used the Intellivision's side buttons extensively. (She couldn't remember the name of the D&D game, and always called it 'Gorrilas and Pyramids')

    Point is, it's not just the Blackberry. Any repetative thumb action will cause damage.

    1. Re:Intellivision & Grandma's Thumbs by Penguinshit · · Score: 1


      Ah yes, the good ol' days of suffering from Intellithumb...

  78. This sounds familiar... by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 1

    It reminds me of the "Opti-Grab" glasses from Steve Martin's "The Jerk"...

    "Sounds like a great idea, but your eyes are drawn to it... then you wind up cock-eyed!"

    --
    -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
  79. Breathing might kill you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In unrelated news scientists advise against breathing at all.
    "It's a know fact that breathing in substances that can kill you might kill you."
    The scientists said. Also when asked if not breathing might be more dangerous
    they said: "That's for each person to decide. Government should regulate if the risk of breathing is worth the benefits. This is too important to be left the public opinion."
    So you might want to take a deep breath now as it might become illegal soon.

  80. It has to be said... by MrIcee · · Score: 1

    1) Buy Blackberry
    2) Use it
    3) *****
    4) Visit Doctor
    5) PROFIT!!!

  81. In Other News... by cynic10508 · · Score: 1

    In other news, vacation home sales among U.K. doctors are up today. The doctors say this is in no way related to the influx of people worried about their thumbs.

  82. This just in by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eating repetitively will make you fat.

  83. Does no one remember the 80s by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A very similar condition was attributed to the good ol' Atari 2600

  84. Nintendo-thumb by Vandil+X · · Score: 1

    Back in the late 1980s, we called this phenomenon "Nintendo-thumb".

    There is no known cure.

    --
    Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START
  85. Gaming by thegreatcerebral · · Score: 1

    Well it will only be a matter of time that tells us that everyone who has been playing video games since Super Mario Brothers will not be able to have any use of our fingers/thumbs/hands in a couple of years... I can't wait!

  86. Chronic SMS'ers have to be worse by winkydink · · Score: 1

    than using a blackberry. Fewer keys, more strokes. And, there have to be a boatload more of them. Why not look there and then extrapolate for the Blackberry, rather than conjecture on a smaller statistical sample?

    --

    "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

  87. Try learning guitar by hanshotfirst · · Score: 1

    You can literally practice until your fingers bleed (and it doesn't take that long) until you develop calouses. ( a natural solution to the problem. ) Should guitar lessons be outlawed? Have we just not endured the Blackberry long enough for nature to develop a solution to the problem?

    --
    Why, oh why, didn't I take the Blue Pill?
  88. That would be impossible! by cparisi · · Score: 1

    I don't have a blackberry...

  89. Same as other handheld devices by pilkul · · Score: 1
    I don't see why the blackberry is being singled out. All electronic devices can cause RSI if not used in moderation. I bought a stylus-based Palm Zire 21 last year and after 3 months of too intense usage I got mild tendonitis in my right wrist. I was forced to get rid of it to avoid permanent injury.

    In my case at least, I would consider stylus-based devices as more dangerous than button-based ones, since the former force you to make many small precise strokes with your entire wrist while button-based ones generally involve just the thumbs. I've been using button-based devices like game controllers, cellphones and electronic dictionaries for years with no problems (except the occasional bloody thumb (seriously :)), but a few months of stylus wrecked my arm. I was actually considering buying a Blackberry for ergonomic reasons!

  90. Better Buttons. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I practice piano for around two hours every day, and have sometimes wondered why there are never any warnings about it. Most people seem to suffer no harm though. As you improve your technique it takes less effort, as you use the minimal stress to get the same result.

    It's hard to explain, but imagine the difference between picking up an object for the first time, or the thousandth time. The first time it would feel heavier, and you would use more energy. The last time, it would be much easier, as your whole body knows how to adjust all it's muscles for the minimal effort.

    I've sometimes wondered if people who use a keyboard or pda reach this "minimal effort to press the button" method after a while, and so don't mess up their tendons too badly.

    Perhaps though, the buttons are so unforgiving that it never happens.

    "Really you should not be making more than a few hundred thumb movements a day, so that does not amount to that many words when you think about it."

    I probably get through that in chromatics alone. :)

  91. new report by oneishy · · Score: 1

    A new report out by the US Department of Agriculture says that people who are living a life are 246 time mroe likely to die.

    astounding!

    It goes on to say that those working with cinder blocks are prone to damage their hands. Someone should look into filing a lawsuit against whoever came up with cinder blocks

  92. Nintendinitis by dim5 · · Score: 0
    I remember this being a big scare in the 80's. Too much Space Invaders will destroy your thumbs! (Back then I think the catchiest name they could come up with was "video thumb", but don't try to find that on Google.)

    Unless operating the Blackberry meant contorting your hands into unusual positions that you'd never otherwise use, I don't see how this is any more dangerous than kids using chalk on a slate board 100 years ago.

    --

    Is something burning?
    Oh, it's my karma.

  93. Two Words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Video Games...

  94. Worst... Name... Ever! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Research in Motion, which manufactures the Blackberry...

    I called the receptionist there and asked her how I could get a RIM job... and she hung up on me!

  95. FUD in a Nutshell by mccrew · · Score: 1
    Here, folks, I have distilled the essence of this non-article...

    The headline shrieks: "Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'"

    The true fact of the matter, further down: "He said he had not heard of any cases to date however."

    What is really interesting here is that Blackberry brand has attained the kind of status in the collecive mindshare, vis-a-vis IPod, where there is a certain excitement around the product. This brings a lot of hype, but sadly it also brings a lot of junk articles like this one.

    --
    Hey, Windows users, there is no such thing as "forward" slash, there is only slash and backslash.
  96. Let's see now... by Locke2005 · · Score: 1
    Game console: Used daily for hours at a time of intense button pushing

    Blackberry: Used a couple times a day to send short messages

    Hmmm... don't you think any potential problems would show up a lot sooner with game console users???

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  97. That's what they said... by AvantLegion · · Score: 1
    ... about my wrists and chronic masturbation.

  98. It's like saying that by melted · · Score: 1

    Regular use of keyboards could damage the wrists. Oh, wait...

  99. I object to that slur, sir by Prototerm · · Score: 1

    As an acredited member of the Royal Academy of Whatchamacalit, I object to your public insults against me and my robed fellows. Now, if you were referring to the Royal Academy of Doohickey I would concur, for they are indeed a bunch of pontificating rabble.

    I remain,
    Sir Johnathan Gregory Pinchwith-Smythe
    Assistant Chief Pontificator
    Royal Academy of Whatchamacalit

    --
    "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right." --Senator Carl Schurz (1872)
  100. Celebrities liek David Beckham? by Mo+B.+Dick · · Score: 0

    I could think of a lot more influential celebrities than some soccer player.

    1. Re:Celebrities liek David Beckham? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I could think of a lot more influential celebrities than some soccer player.

      Yeah, but about four billion other people couldn't. Beckham is (absurdly) a demigod to a huge fraction of the planet's population. Real Madrid picked him up from Manchester United not because he's playing incredibly well -- in fact, he hasn't been playing that well at all these last couple of years -- but because of what he brings to the team's worldwide marketing. Ugh.

  101. The only thing Blackberry is damaging... by spungebob · · Score: 1

    ... is my street cred. Because I don't have one. :(

    --
    It takes an idiot to do cool things - that's why it's cool!
  102. Regular blackberry use... by Tandoori+Haggis · · Score: 1

    what were they doing with blackberries?

    Personally I prefer to eat blackberries and drink blackberry wine. You'd have to pick a lot of blackberries to get sore thumbs.

    --
    My hyperlinks aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
  103. I *have* tendonitis... by Jack+Taylor · · Score: 0

    I have tendonitis in the little finger of my left hand as a result of playing the violin. I used to play the violin for two or three hours each day, and some of the music was very strenuous. Like some of the previous posts have said, if you do anything too much you can get tendonitis. However, some things are definitely worse than others in this regard. I once heard the leader of the Lindsay String Quartet say that if the violin was a modern invention, then it would probably be forbidden by an E.U. directive - to play it properly you have to twist your left wrist through 180 degrees, almost.

    Despite its reputation, many people play the violin for a living, and many of those never have any problems with tendonitis. This is because in spite of the risks involved with playing, there are plenty of people who find a position that's comfortable to play in; it is the people who twist their wrists *right* round, and press their fingers down *really* hard that get into trouble (like me). So the people arguing that there is no problem and the people arguing that some devices are unsafe to use are really both partially right - it is both the device and your posture that affects your likelihood of developing tendonitis.

    If you start to have pain from using your blackberry/keyboard/mouse/whatever, you should immediately rest it. And I'm talking about days, not minutes. Also, whatever happens, even acute tendonitis clears up after a year, so don't worry too much, although I always think my little finger is a bit stiffer than it used to be...

    --
    One good turn - gets all the covers.
    1. Re:I *have* tendonitis... by rivaldufus · · Score: 1

      At least you don't play viola... I hope it clears up for you. My wife's a violinist, and fortunately, she's never had any hand problems.

      I used to play violin. It's got to be one of the most awkward positions to hold something in.

    2. Re:I *have* tendonitis... by Jack+Taylor · · Score: 0

      Well, it's been two or three years now since it started. It's cleared up a lot, but never really gone completely away. I think I could play the violin seriously again if I wanted to, but it's been too long and I have a different (but not too different!) career path now. Plus it would be a lot of work getting myself into the habit of good posture...

      --
      One good turn - gets all the covers.
  104. What about the japanese? by Tragek · · Score: 1

    Japanese school girls text on their cells a hundred times more than any blackberry user (Remember, to them it is their social life. ). I'd be more interested in hearing about japan.

  105. Is the Key/Button layout causing RSI for thumbs? by doughmein_dot_net · · Score: 1
    Has anyone done any serious studies of the layout of the Blackberry thumb-board, how it affects thumb overuse, and how it could be improved by possible rearrangement?

    As we know, Qwerty layouts were not well-optimized for their defined use, let alone two-thumb typing. The Dvorak layout may provide some benefit for thumb-typists, but it has been designed for four fingers (and 1-2 thumbs), not a two-thumbs application.

    IMO, there needs to be some serious study on two-thumb key layouts for portable devices, to produce several efficient and usable key layouts for such devices. Ideally, a better layout would minimize excessive thumb motion, take advantage of thumb alternation, and place common letters in easy-to-reach locations, and be generally more ergonomic. We've seen more than a few examples of this in the world of desktop keyboards and on-screen keyboards, but this needs to be applied to thumbs.

    I'm certainly no expert - I learned Dvorak and studied other alternative layouts - but I managed to come up with a few two-thumb layouts in my spare time. One is loosely based on Dvorak, and another comes closer. I haven't yet published these anywhere, but I can if there's interest.

    Has anyone taken the time to design a new layout? I'd be curious to see any ideas.

    --
    Super ninja monkeys will one day rule the world!
  106. Sorry... by Bloodlent · · Score: 1

    But what's 200 pounds in dollars? Not every Slashdotter is from England you know...

  107. In other news... by finder · · Score: 1

    the sky is falling.

    Love,
    Chicken Little

  108. if it's not greek, it's crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As you know, Pontification comes from the french word "Pont", which means "bridge". And of course "ification" comes from french word "efficace" which means "efficiency". So you see, efficient bridge, is meaning that someone is trying to fool you by associating two entirely different things.

  109. Don't know about my thumbs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but it will fucking hurt when I jam it up your faggot ass.

  110. sore thumbs by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 1

    Not only do you get sore thumbs, but your wrists get sore too, well one of them anyway. Repeated use can lead to blindness and give you a lot of zits also.

    --
    Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
  111. related to canadian patent infringement claims? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This alarming dispatch comes on the heels of a US/Canadian patent dispute over the Blackberry, is this a coincidence or not?

  112. this is truly old news... by thekm · · Score: 1

    This news is old by about 17 years. Back in the era of the "nintendo entertainment system", and the "sega mastersystem", they had square controllers... before the days of truly ergonomic controllers (the sega mega-drive (genesis) was the first). Excessive use of these controllers brought on what was coined as "nintendo thumb". Partially because the square box jammed a corner into your thumb, but it seems to be pretty much the same thing.

  113. Misunderstandinating by Zareste · · Score: 1

    lol I know I'm not the only one who thought 'Blackberry' meant the real berry, but was I the only one thinking 'thumbs' meant the small pictures?

    --
    I am NOT a number! I am a - oh wait, I'm number 761710. Look! 761710!
  114. Obligatory Simpsons quote... by camcloud1 · · Score: 0

    "The doctor said I have to stop playing video games. He said I have the wrists of an eighty year old"

  115. Old News with a trendy angle by s-meister · · Score: 1
    Blackberries are just the new iPod. This is an excuse to rerun the RSI warnings like http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/243589.stm

    Unfortunately I know how painful de Quervain's tenosynovitis is, because I suffer from it in my right thumb. I used to use a Logitech trackball instead of a mouse, and it was fine for 5 or more years. It still is fine to whizz that ball around with the affected thumb. I suspect the damage was actually done when I used to carry 4 or 5 DLT's back and forth from server room to office. A DLT is just wide enough to strain my thumb when held by the edges. When I started to strip paint and wallpaper off the walls at home to prepare for decorating, I started to suffer the pain. I guess I had been straining that thumb already, and the additional pressure from using the shaving hooks just inflamed the tendons.

    I no longer handle DLTs in that way! I'm too old to want to spend all my time thumbing away at a cell/mobile phone or a Blackberry, too. And I no longer spend hours stripping paint off walls. The pain, however, remains, and only cortisone injections relieve it for a few months at a time. As they hurt like hell for a few days afterwards, I don't want to do that anymore.

    Anyone got any other remedies they can recommend? Other than amputation or rectal insertion!

  116. Forget the thumbs! by bjb · · Score: 1
    Forget the thumbs, these things pump out some serious RF radiation that at least sounds like it could be damaging to the reproductive system.

    I've got a Blackberry 6280, and when I put this thing anywhere near an amplified speaker (speaker phone, guitar amplifier, restaurant stereo), if there is any communication, you hear it loud and clear. Email coming in? BAAAHHT-BAT-BAT-BADDA-BADDA-BAAHHHHHT-BAT-BAAAHT-B ADDA (etc). Can't be good for my boys.

    The bad? Someone on the other end of the phone has theirs next to the speaker phone and blasts your ears while you're talking to them.

    The good? Its almost a prank that Steve Wozniak would be proud of. There is one particular restaurant that I to go for lunch sometimes that you can sit at a table that has the house stereo behind it. Put the blackberry on one end of the table, and the stereo blasts that sound into the restaurant, take it away and the stereo is fine. Now just screw with the waiters as they try to figure out why the stereo keeps making that sound.

    --
    Never hit your grandmother with a shovel, for it leaves a bad impression on her mind...
  117. The real points here... by MisterTut · · Score: 1


    Yes, yes, it is clear that they are talking about hypotheticals here, but what we should take away from this is (from article):

    A) given the choice, text on a cell phone, rather than a Blackberry

    B) limit messages to 50 words or less

    --


    -Tut

    Health-Hack.com