07-17-2009, 11:59 PM
Barry Carpenter The 33 News
July 15, 2009
GARLAND, TEXAS - Texting is a great way to communicate -- and teenagers are doing just that.
New research shows that on average, teens are sending 2,000 text messages a month; and doctors say it's causing injuries.
Thirteen year old Bailey Baker's thumbs are in constant motion. Sending text messages to her friends again, and again, and again. Last month may have been her best month ever, texting 8,000 times. Now, she says she's feeling the pain.
"Just mainly back and neck problems and thumb numbness and it hurts."
Baylor-Garland Dr. Jane Sadler is seeing more and more teens who simply text until it hurts. She says parents, including Bailey's mom, have no idea how much their kids are texting.
"I was thinking she was texting about 25 texts a day," says Lisa Baker. "Wrong! We've uncovered a problem."
It doesn't take Dr. Sadler long to isolate the problem. She gives Bailey the once over and learns she's texting about 200 times a day.
"Well, Bailey," Dr. Sadler tells says, "What you have is Texting Teen Tendinitis."
That's right, Bailey has TTT.
"A lot of them report pain in their thumbs, in their elbows, in their back and neck," says Dr. Sadler. "When you look into it and investigate a little bit further, we see commonly the culprit is texting."
Dr. Sadler says back soreness is caused by poor posture while texting. Bailey often texts for up to two hours a day; that's a lot of wear and tear on the thumbs which over time, can break down.
Dr. Sadler tells over-texting teens to look into the future.
"What I tell them is 'Hey, you might be normal now, but when you are forty or fifty, you can get arthritis.'"
Dr. Sadler expects a boom in thumb joint replacement surgeries over the next several decades. Dr. Sadler prescribed exercises to strengthen Bailey's hands.
School may be out, but Bailey says she learned a lesson about the downside of all that texting.
"Because I didn't think that texting could make your hands feel so bad."
Dr. Sadler recommends limiting texting to 50 a day, and maintaining good posture; slouching over is bad for your back. Dr. Sadler also says touch screens are easier on the thumbs than keyboards and hand exercises are great to build up those muscles, making it easier to text.
http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-texting...?track=rss
July 15, 2009
GARLAND, TEXAS - Texting is a great way to communicate -- and teenagers are doing just that.
New research shows that on average, teens are sending 2,000 text messages a month; and doctors say it's causing injuries.
Thirteen year old Bailey Baker's thumbs are in constant motion. Sending text messages to her friends again, and again, and again. Last month may have been her best month ever, texting 8,000 times. Now, she says she's feeling the pain.
"Just mainly back and neck problems and thumb numbness and it hurts."
Baylor-Garland Dr. Jane Sadler is seeing more and more teens who simply text until it hurts. She says parents, including Bailey's mom, have no idea how much their kids are texting.
"I was thinking she was texting about 25 texts a day," says Lisa Baker. "Wrong! We've uncovered a problem."
It doesn't take Dr. Sadler long to isolate the problem. She gives Bailey the once over and learns she's texting about 200 times a day.
"Well, Bailey," Dr. Sadler tells says, "What you have is Texting Teen Tendinitis."
That's right, Bailey has TTT.
"A lot of them report pain in their thumbs, in their elbows, in their back and neck," says Dr. Sadler. "When you look into it and investigate a little bit further, we see commonly the culprit is texting."
Dr. Sadler says back soreness is caused by poor posture while texting. Bailey often texts for up to two hours a day; that's a lot of wear and tear on the thumbs which over time, can break down.
Dr. Sadler tells over-texting teens to look into the future.
"What I tell them is 'Hey, you might be normal now, but when you are forty or fifty, you can get arthritis.'"
Dr. Sadler expects a boom in thumb joint replacement surgeries over the next several decades. Dr. Sadler prescribed exercises to strengthen Bailey's hands.
School may be out, but Bailey says she learned a lesson about the downside of all that texting.
"Because I didn't think that texting could make your hands feel so bad."
Dr. Sadler recommends limiting texting to 50 a day, and maintaining good posture; slouching over is bad for your back. Dr. Sadler also says touch screens are easier on the thumbs than keyboards and hand exercises are great to build up those muscles, making it easier to text.
http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-texting...?track=rss
