Philly Banker Undergoes Surgery for 'Blackberry Thumb'

Ubiquity ain't easy. And sometimes being in constant contact with clients and colleagues can get downright painful.

Ubiquity ain't easy. And sometimes being in constant contact with clients and colleagues can get downright painful.

Take for instance the story of one Philadelphia mortgage banker who recently went under the knife as the result of what's been termed "Blackberry thumb," or the repetitive strain injury of the hand that results from overuse of the thumb to type or operate smart phones and other handheld devices.

Tampa Bay's WTSP.com reports:

The mortgage banker spends 12 hours a day texting clients on her iPhone.

"I'm texted out," she said.

The constant texting put so much pressure on her hands that the tendons in her thumb became inflamed. She had to undergo surgery to remove the tendons.

Apparently the Blackberry thumb epidemic is widespread enough to warrant a number of news stories over the past several years, as well as a detailed Wikipedia entry. A type of tendonitis, it's the direct result of maintaining constant communications via text message and email, and possibly just playing around with various apps and features on a mobile device.

The aforementioned Philadelphia mortgage banker faces a couple months of recovery, and is learning how to type on her iPhone by hunting and pecking with other fingers. And while it probably isn't easy, perhaps she's turned to using her iPhone as. . . a phone.