High Tech HURTS
by: Leslie Fossey, Director of Marketing, Azalea Orthopedics
Like many of you, I have a love/hate relationship with my Smartphone. I use my phones to check both of my email accounts, text, Facebook, handle my on-line banking, and more.
Recently my thumb and wrist have become quite sore and irritated. So I got the idea to use my Smartphone yet again to look up the ailment. What surfaced in the search seemed witty and enlightening and brought a few new words (sort of) like touch-screen finger, Iphoneitis, and Droid-digits to my vocabulary.
Armed with my newly discovered aliment I called one of our orthopedic hand specialists at Azalea Orthopedics to confirm my self-diagnosis. Dr. Ryan Patterson, one of our newest hand surgeons told me, "In this high tech world it is not uncommon for most of us to send upward of 100 text messages a day. Thumb muscles, which spread across the back of the hand and into the wrist, aren't used to all that up-and-down motion. The keys are so small that it just means the thumb muscles have to work harder."
What's the fix to all of my pain? Dr. Patterson says to first lay off the mobile devices. Some other suggestions are:
* If texting starts to hurt, stop. Use the other hand or call instead
* Vary the hand you use when texting
* Vary the digits you use
* Don't text for more than a few minutes without a break
Dr. Patterson says that if the pain persists there are other options like bracing and anti-inflammatory medications -inflamitories, injections and/or physical therapy. "These usually work for most of my patients. If not, there are surgical options, but that is always the last step though sometimes a necessary one." He says that what is not necessary is staying in pain. If the pain does persist, then a visit to an orthopedic surgeon is a good idea.
At the end of my ailment search one theme seemed ever present. I need to put down these hand-held devices and when I am tempted to text I might choose a call or to communicate face to face to lessen the pain.
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