Jordon at Confined Space is enjoying the schadenfreude…
Recognizing the very real pain that ergonomic disorders cause, there is still something deliciously ironic about this:
Sandy Boyd’s BlackBerry had become her passion. Now it has also become a source of pain.
About three months ago, the National Association of Manufacturers vice president noticed that, as she started to type, the area between her thumb and wrist would begin to throb.
Orthopedists say they are seeing an increasing number of patients with similar symptoms, a condition known as “overuse syndrome” or “BlackBerry thumb.” In some patients, the disability has become severe.
For those of you just tuning in, the National Association of Manufacturers was one of the leaders in the campaign to stop OSHA from issuing an ergnomics standard, to repeal the standard in March 2001 after it was issued, as well as the current effort to force OSHA to withdraw the voluntary guidelines issued over the past three years because of the lack of “hard, verifiable scientific evidence.”
Texter’s thumb was mentioned in the newspapers a few years ago now. When mobile phones were the big new fad amongst teenagers, there were cases of repetitive strain injuries reported.
Another good reason for me to get a Treo 650 instead :-)
Where do I go for my “Nintendo” thumb condition lawsuit? Ironicly, this repetitive motion condition was self inflicted. I’m fairly sure OSHA should be invilved as that’s how I used to Safely Occupy my time for hours on end.