I am currently working on a Teen Issue Feature about texting and typing injuries in teens. I interviewed a fellow classmate, Ashley Steele, age 17, about her current diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel.
This is the transcript of that interview:
How did you find out you were injured?
Ashley Steele: When I first realized something was wrong in my hand/wrist, I was in the middle of typing an essay. I felt a dull, numbing type of pain throughout my forearm and wrist. I brushed it off at first, but a few days after, I noticed that my palm was black and blue, and I couldn't move my wrist at all. It really set me off and I know that I had to get it checked out. And sure enough, my doctor told me I had a case of mild Carpal Tunnel.
Do you have Carpal Tunnel because of texting?
AS: No, I don't have Carpal just because of texting. It's more like a combination of texting, typing on the computer and overuse (because I'm a lefty). But, texting certainly contributed to my injury.
Do you think you text too much?
AS: Well like every other teenager in the world, I text all day everyday. Do I text too much? Maybe to older generations, but for a teen, I don't feel I text too much. It's a way to keep in contact with all of my friends, family, etc. It's a way of life, pretty much.
How many texts do you send a day?
AS: I send about 50-100 messages daily via text messaging. I send to my mom, my grandma in Florida, and at least five friends daily.
Ashley Steele: When I first realized something was wrong in my hand/wrist, I was in the middle of typing an essay. I felt a dull, numbing type of pain throughout my forearm and wrist. I brushed it off at first, but a few days after, I noticed that my palm was black and blue, and I couldn't move my wrist at all. It really set me off and I know that I had to get it checked out. And sure enough, my doctor told me I had a case of mild Carpal Tunnel.
Do you have Carpal Tunnel because of texting?
AS: No, I don't have Carpal just because of texting. It's more like a combination of texting, typing on the computer and overuse (because I'm a lefty). But, texting certainly contributed to my injury.
Do you think you text too much?
AS: Well like every other teenager in the world, I text all day everyday. Do I text too much? Maybe to older generations, but for a teen, I don't feel I text too much. It's a way to keep in contact with all of my friends, family, etc. It's a way of life, pretty much.
How many texts do you send a day?
AS: I send about 50-100 messages daily via text messaging. I send to my mom, my grandma in Florida, and at least five friends daily.
Additional notes.
AS: We live in a society in which technology is everything from computers, to cell phones, to touch screens at the banks. Everything we do is related to technology. Using the computer and texting is a way of life, and it isn't going away anytime soon. I think if we are more careful with how we use our technology, injuries can be avoided.
AS: We live in a society in which technology is everything from computers, to cell phones, to touch screens at the banks. Everything we do is related to technology. Using the computer and texting is a way of life, and it isn't going away anytime soon. I think if we are more careful with how we use our technology, injuries can be avoided.
Good interview, albeit with a friend.
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