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New Medical Disorder Linked To Gaming

Posted by samzenpus on from the a-bad-case-of-tetris-eye dept.

oldspewey writes "A new skin disorder caused by use of games consoles has been identified by skin specialists. The condition, dubbed "PlayStation palmar hidradenitis", is described in the British Journal of Dermatology. Researchers outline the case of a 12-year-old girl who attended a Swiss hospital with intensely painful sores on the palms of her hands. The girl, who had been using a games console regularly, recovered fully after 10 days of abstinence. The doctors suspect that the problem was caused by tight and continuous grasping of the console's hand-grips, and repeated pushing of the buttons, alongside sweating caused by the tension of the game. Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists said: 'This is an interesting discovery and one that the researchers are keen to share ... If you're worried about soreness on your hands when playing a games console, it might be sensible to give your hands a break from time to time, and don't play excessively if your hands are prone to sweating.'" We called it Tekken thumb.

5 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Back from the Atari days.. by Fishead · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've got NES thumb. Both my thumbs pop when I bend them. I blame this stupid motorcycle game where you had to do Left-right, A-B really fast. I don't remember which game it is, but my thumbs remember skipping school to play it.

  2. Is this a joke? I can't tell... by O('_')O_Bush · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I mean... if I get sores on my hands from digging a hole with a shovel but no gloves, can I make up some new medical condition?

    Next Slashdot/medical journal article title:

    People get sores on their hands from rubbing stuff!

    --
    while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
  3. Re:Back from the Atari days.. by kliklik · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I remember constantly having a right arrow image imprinted on my thumb and now being able to play because of the blisters. This is indeed old condition.

    --
    guru in training
  4. In the Atari 2600 days by Orion+Blastar · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I joined the Imagic "Numb Thumb" Club. The Atari 2600 only had one button but we pushed it with our thumb. Doctors called it "Numb Thumb" and Imagic turned it into a club.

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    Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
  5. This is not a gaming disorder by surferx0 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Those sores and blisters look exactly like my hands from lifting weights without gloves.

    I can't believe they are calling this a "disorder" and relating it to gaming when it is just a simple and common case of friction blisters and callous that form under any similar circumstance.