BlackBerry Thumb to PDA Nail

• Look at my thumbs doc! I thought technology was supposed to improve health, not cause new medical problems! I've already had BlackBerry thumb because of Twitter. I think I'm going to sue RIM and Twitter because now, I'm getting PDA Nail!

Sound ridiculous? Well, BlackBerry thumb is a type of repetitive motion injury that is becoming more prevalent among working professionals who Twitter, I mean who use their BlackBerry for corporate e-mail. People who use their mobile smartphones for hours each day are even developing dystrophic nail changes that some clinical experts are calling PDA nail. The Am J Clin Dermatol. 2009;10(3):193-6. has a case study (two cases actually) titled, "The 'PDA Nail': Traumatic Nail Dystrophy in Habitual Users of Personal Digital Assistants."

Here's a snippet: "We describe two cases of traumatic thumb nail dystrophy associated with using a PDA keyboard for several hours per day... In conclusion, biomechanical stress resulting from overuse of PDAs may result in various types of nail dystrophy. We suggest the general term 'PDA nails' for these nail abnormalities."

So, what do your thumbs look like? Are your nails turning dystrophic? Image Source: Access Emergency Medicine I