Thumbs down for iPod ailment

Published on Saturday 12 November 2005 00:40

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.

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.

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. The company also faces pressure from American health experts who share the same concern over potential RSI risks.

Donna Stanton, of the US Society of Hand Therapists, said: "Hand-held electronics may require prolonged grips, repetitive motion on small buttons and awkward wrist movements. This combination can lead to hand, wrist and arm ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis. These devices are getting smaller with even more features, which encourage heavy, extended use. More of the population could suffer hand ailments unless they learn to take preventative measures."

Warnings of potential health risks are unlikely to dent the iconic status of the iPod, which dominates the digital music player market with an estimated 75 per cent share. Apple has sold more than 27 million of the devices worldwide, 6.5 million alone in the three months to October, and the manufacturer now produces a variety of players in different colours, sizes and hard drives.

The medical advice for iPod devotees who cannot resist the temptation to chop and change their music is simple: 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.

In addition, commuters wearing the familiar white headphones are urged to keep their wrist straight when changing songs.

Fans of the iPod are also urged to use the machine's ability to set up long playlists of songs or use its "random shuffle" facility as a way of avoiding excessive thumb use.

The iPod joins a growing list of hi-tech gadgets linked to possible health problems. Most recent is "Blackberry thumb", an RSI-like complaint linked to obsessive use of the portable e-mail and phone computer. There is also PlayStation thumb, said to afflict those who spend too much time on games consoles.