“Tennis players have their elbows, housemaids have their knees and athletes have their feet. Now users of the world’s most popular digital music player may have their own affliction – iPod thumb,” Fergus Sheppard reports for The Scotsman. “The condition is reportedly caused by the repetitive hand movements required when listeners use a wheel device on the player to navigate through lists of songs and artists. Music fans may enjoy the ability to spool through 10,000 songs on their iPods, but medical experts warn that jumping from tune to tune has its risks.”
Sheppard reports, “Carl Irwin, from the British Chiropractic Association, said: “This is a really serious problem. The action needed to move the wheel on an iPod is totally unnatural and effectively separates the joint in the thumb every time you use it. ‘This causes inflammation in the thumb or fingers and can be very painful. We have also seen cases of iPod users where the problem has spread to their elbow and neck.’ Mr Irwin said he expected to see a rise over the next six months of patients complaining of symptoms typical of repetitive stress injury (RSI). Children using their players for extended periods could be storing up problems for adulthood as their joints were still growing, he added.
“Apple, the maker of the iPod, has refused to comment on the warning,” Sheppard reports.
Full article here.
Advertisement: The New iPod with Video. The ultimate music + video experience on the go. From $299. Free shipping.
Yet another reason for planning ahead and building proper playlists in iTunes and using iPod’s On-The-Go playlist feature. Are you scrolling your iPod’s Click Wheel constantly? If so, why? Do you have “iPod thumb?”
<sarcasm>
Wonder if I can sue for pain and suffering? Added to my lawsuit about easily scratching my Nano, I’ll be set. I’ll get 1/2 of Apple’s profits yet!
</sarcasm>
To be fair, this is not the most moronic thing I’ve ever heard. Bush’s classic “We do not torture” whopper was. But this is in the top ten. I mean seriously, how many hours per day does the average music fan spend scrolling? I’d round it to zero hours. Most of the typical iPod user’s time is spent LISTENING. If anything, they should be complaining about iPod EARS.
no cause. what are you working really really hard with ipod like sports? you’re not. it just simple movement of your thumb. I don’t usually touch clickwheel when I listen because shuffle mode is everything I need. so you don’t have to use your thumb every time. naybe you have to concern about typing on keyboard rather than ipod.
I’m developing “super mouse forefinger” from trying to use the new scroll button on the super mouse (which isn’t very super).
Andrew Hamilton
Videographers in Las Vegas
Hamilton International Productions
http://www.hiproductions.com
OH GOD HERE WE GO AGAIN….
Frigging retards, what the heck is one using the scroll wheel so much for anyway?
Create a random playlist, set it and forget it.
SHEEESH!!!
MDN Word: “person” Like what sort of person uses a iPod so much that it hurts?
How is this different from moving your thumb and other fingers when you use the Sony Playstation or Xbox?
“We have also seen cases of iPod users where the problem has spread to their elbow and neck”
I’m part Scot myself, but I have to wonder how many of my kinsmen are so daft that they watch their thumbs instead of the screen — only reason I can see for why people would waggle their heads around in a circle enough to cause neck problems.
The only other thing I can think of would be people gettin’ down to the Hokey-Pokey, dancing while listening to it on their iPods. If you know anyone who might do this, recommend that they get a Nano or Shuffle — you know how much damage that “shake it all about” part can do to hard drives over time? It ain’t pretty….
IT guy: Strictly speaking, it isn’t. However, the game controllers are more ergonomically-designed than the iPod. Nevertheless, too much PS2 can give you achy hands.
Repetitive stress injuries go way back. I remember one associated with playing too much Rubik’s Cube. Even farther back, there was one associated with disco dancing — it came from snapping your fingers too much.
that you need to skip constantly… get some better music
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
wow. this only furthers the notion in my mind that chiropractors are quacks.
a mouse and keyboard have the same effect.
do these people ever hear of shuffling songs on an ipod? if they’re that fed up with the way itunes randomly picks songs, they can make a playlist, smart or not, toggle on and off the shuffle and/or repeat, and you don’t have to worry about constantly using the ipod scroll pad.
maybe it’s a concern if you’re addicted to the games on the ipod, but i use those only to kill a few minutes every so often.
Haggis er Fegus seems ot have it out for Apple products – this isn’t the first time he has spread doom and gloom about Apple…
MDNMW: too as in her we go again, too — the department of redundancy department
this is just ridiculous! people are TRYING too hard to find things againt apple! how sad can these freaks get! Its no more unnatural than the stupid repetitive Zen Control! Sad lil buggers!
try mobile phones and sending SMS’
or in the case of many individuals – too much masturbation
perhaps use another finger, I suggest the middle one!
Let’s see what other reasons we could find for getting money from Apple…
I can see it now… “Man will sue Apple for straining eyes while watching videos on his iPod.”
O god…
~Caleb
chiropractors say listeners should not use their thumbs to scroll but instead take the player in one hand, and use the finger of the other to move the navigation wheel.
What utter garbage! Anyone who scrolls that much deserves it. Really heavy scrollers should consider using their tongue; its self-lubricating capability is inversely proportional to one’s IQ.
Carl Irwin, from the British Chiropractic Association, said: “This is a really serious problem. The action needed to move the wheel on an iPod is totally unnatural and effectively separates the joint in the thumb every time you use it.
—
Uh.. how often do I use that thing? Like.. everytime i want to play another playlist, or right when I turn the iPod on and adjust the volume.. this is just so corny. There’s a reason they have smart playlists, shuffle, etc.. stop fiddling with your iPod and leave it in your pocket. I touch the scrollwheel about 3 times a day.
Carl Irwin, from the British Chiropractic Association, said: “This is a really serious problem. The action needed to move the wheel on an iPod is totally unnatural and effectively separates the joint in the thumb every time you use it.
That’s his medical opinion of course. Every chiropractor goes through intensive training in identifying and treating “unnatural” joint movements. These people are on the front lines of the fight against all kinds of “serious problems.” In fact, when Medecins Sans Fontieres (Doctors Without Borders) go to AIDS ravaged nations they are often led by a chiropractor.
another extremely serious problem is piano playing..the repetitive finger motion involved in pressing keys down..and then having to lift your finger back up and then down and up and down yet again. i’m a lawyer and i’m looking into suing european piano makers on Beethovens behalf..
and i’m thinking of suing the makers of spoons on Betty Crockers behalf. do you have any idea what damage there can be done to a young homemaker who just wants to make a batch of cookies. they have to stir to mix the dough, right? that can do irrevocable damage to Bettys wrist.
my lawyer friends say this is a f*king goldmine. the possibilities are endess. oh, and when i have my iPod outside on a sunny day if i’m not wearing sunglasses i can actually go snowblind.
What a total load. Back and neck injury? Well, perhaps if you were trying to push the wheel through the back of the unit, (In an attempt to add some nice class action scratches)… Common. Next they’ll say having a Shuffle around your neck causes curvature of the spine and breast cancer.
This is the kind of thing you get when you let crybaby bed-wetting liberals run around free.
So Tom (smells) Strong, all we need is a little neo-fascism to fix everything?…. jeez, when the ‘right’ starts looking bad (finally some truth about the Bush Crime Family & Co. is leaking out, and its only just beginning), they get desperate.
“Carl Irwin, from the British Chiropractic Association, said: “This is a really serious problem. The action needed to move the wheel on an iPod is totally unnatural and effectively separates the joint in the thumb every time you use it.”
This statement is ridiculous and not supported by anatomic and physiological fact. The human thumb is designed to move in all directions. Light movement or pressure on an iPod wheel would NOT “joint separation” in the thumb. By the way, which joint in the thumb — trapeziometacarpal, metacarpophalangeal, interphlangeal, or all of the above? Total BS (or more properly termed for this site, “FUD!”) The joints don’t just “separate” with normal thumb movement. The interosseous ligaments are very strong and provided there has been no pre-existing injury or degenerative arthritic condition “joint separation” does not occur, even with moderately forceful movements let alone the light touch movements required for iPod use.
MW = “seems” It seems as though he’s groveling for some patients!
Let’s not forget the lesson we all should have taken away from the Optigrab.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0079367/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxrdz0xfHE9dGhlIGplcmt8ZnQ9MXxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8Y289MXxodG1sPTF8bm09MQ__;fc=1;ft=23;fm=1
I sure hope Steve is able to keep his Thermos after all this.