We live in a world of information and technology. People of all ages and backgrounds are clicking away on a Blackberry, PDAs, or Iphones. These phones are very useful in helping us manage a calendar, surf the web, check email and text. But there is something no one is talking about. Using your phone too much can be a source of pain in your thumbs, wrists, forearms, even your neck!  That’s right.Most people work on their blackberries and cellphones with their thumbs (not using the fingers at all) and in a position that’s not natural for the thumb and wrist joints. Therefore, after hours of improper positioning of the hand and wrist, it is not uncommon to feel aches and pains throughout the thumb region, with possible extensions into the wrist, forearms, even your neck. As a result, injuries such as “Blackberry thumb”, carpal tunnel syndrome, or elbow pain can occur. In addition, looking down for a prolonged period of time can lead to neck pain.

If you’ve already started to feel the effects of excessive blackberry use, call the Center for Spine and Sport Rehab at 402-420-0020 today.

  The Aches and Pains of the Blackberry…

If you spend a lot of time on your PDA, you should be aware of the signs of overuse.

• In the early stages, expect general aches and pains.
• Tightness in the muscles within and surrounding the joint (thumb, wrist, or neck) slowly worsen over time.
• If not addressed, pain continues to persist and is more constant throughout the day.

So, what do you do to prevent any short-term or long-term injury?

• The number one solution is REST! Rest your thumbs (after all it’s the fingers that are meant to do the typing, not your thumbs). 
• Take frequent breaks while doing a lot of texting or e-mailing. Your body cannot heal if it is constantly subject to the same activity. So be sure to stretch your hands and wrists frequently.
  
• Give your neck a rest by looking up and bending sideways, stretching every 5-10 minutes. Ask your therapist what the best stretches are for your hands, wrists, and neck.

  Preventing The Woes Of The Blackberry  

• Take frequent breaks – rest after every 10-15 minutes. Periodically look up, giving your neck a break from looking down
• Hold the Blackberry a little higher to decrease the amount of stress on the neck (so you don’t have to look down as much)
• Write fewer and shorter messages
• Try to keep your wrists straight when holding your Blackberry from both sides
• Alternate typing between fingers to give your thumbs a break
• Consider using a portable ergonomic keyboard for your PDA, especially if you travel a lot and are typing consistently.
  
• Make sure that you keep your hands, wrists and arms at the proper angles to prevent other injuries from developing.

Don’t hesitate to call or visit our office before your hands, wrists and neck suffer any further. By now, you probably know that a little human care and intervention from our team is exactly what you need in a increasingly technology-driven society.

The Center for Spine and Sport Rehab specializes in Spine, Orthopedics, and Running related injuries.  If you have any questions or please email us at pt@ptlincoln.com, or visit our website at http://www.ptlincoln.com for more information.

Jeremiah Jorgensen, PT.

]]> http://ptlincoln.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/chronic-pain-and-smart-phones/feed/ 0 ptlincoln blackberry_5440977 blackberry_user_5574372 http://ptlincoln.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/endurance-exercise-and-heart-disease/ http://ptlincoln.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/endurance-exercise-and-heart-disease/#comments Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:01:39 +0000 ptlincoln http://ptlincoln.wordpress.com/?p=45 ]]> We all know that heart is a muscle and that exercise increases muscle size, but we often forget about the heart.  The New Year produces an influx of patients that are wanting to train and run 1/2 to full marathons I found this article very promising for the ability to educate the public on what is going on inside our body when we exercise.

Mass. General study shows how exercise changes structure and function of heart Published in: Press Releases Study of Harvard athletes finds different effect of endurance, strength training. 22-Apr-2008 — For the first time researchers are beginning to understand exactly how various forms of exercise impact the heart. Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH investigators, in collaboration with the Harvard University Health Services, have found that 90 days of vigorous athletic training produces significant changes in cardiac structure and function and that the type of change varies with the type of exercise performed.  Their study appears in the April Journal of Applied Physiology.

“Most of what we know about cardiac changes in athletes and other physically active people comes from ‘snapshots,’ taken at one specific point in time. What we did in this first-of-a-kind study was to follow athletes over several months to determine how the training process actually causes change to occur,” says Aaron Baggish, MD, a fellow in the MGH Cardiology Division and lead author of the study. To investigate how exercise affects the heart over time, the MGH researchers enrolled two groups of Harvard University student athletes at the beginning of the fall 2006 semester. One group was comprised of endurance athletes – 20 male and 20 female rowers – and the other, strength athletes – 35 male football players.  Student athletes were studied while  participating their normal team training, with emphasis on how the heart adapts to a typical season of competitive athletics.

At the end of the 90-day study period, both groups had significant overall increases in the size of their hearts. For endurance athletes, the left and right ventricles – the chambers that send blood into the aorta and to the lungs, respectively – expanded.  In contrast, the heart muscle of the strength athletes tended to thicken, a phenomenon that appeared to be confined to the left ventricle.  The most significant functional differences related to the relaxation of the heart muscle between beats – which increased in the endurance athletes but decreased in strength athletes, while still remaining within normal ranges. “We were quite surprised by both the magnitude of changes over a relatively short period and by how great the differences were between the two groups of athletes,” Baggish says. “The functional differences raise questions about the potential impact of long-term training, which should be followed up in future studies.” While this study looks at young athletes with healthy hearts, the information it provides may someday benefit heart disease patients. “The take-home message is that, just as not all heart disease is equal, not all exercise prescriptions are equal,” Baggish explains. “This should start us thinking about whether we should tailor the type of exercise patients should do to their specific type of heart disease. The concept will need to be studied in heart disease patients before we can make any definitive recommendations.
If you would like more information please contact www.ptlincoln.com

Jeremiah Jorgensen, PT.

(ArticlesBase SC #3510230)

Going a a diet will often make intial changes that often aren’t healthy for our bodies longterm and as research shows leaves us frustrated and adding back on the additional pounds.  If we improve our health by integrating unprocessed foods we can improve not only our weight but our overall health.  The American Diet has been shown to have a 33% rate for developing diabetes!  By integrating a few changes to your routine you can begin to see dramatic changes.

I would be happy to answer any questions.  As with any nutritional information, speak to your physician prior to making any dramatic changes in your eating habbits as medications may be affected. 

Jeremiah Jorgensen, PT

Thanks, and I look forward to having new content in the comming weeks.

Jeremiah Jorgensen, PT