The BlackBerry Massage

"Blackberry Balm" sounds like a hand cream for compulsive text messagers. Actually, that's close: It's the name of the 30-minute hand massage that the Hyatt hotel chain is marketing to tech-weary business travelers at many of its North American spas, including, come January, the Park Hyatt in Washington. Almost two years ago the American Society of Hand Therapists warned that heavy users of handheld electronics, such as the BlackBerry, are at risk of repetitive stress injuries from thumb-typing on a tiny keypad. But it took the Hyatt to see a business opportunity in BlackBerry Thumb.

Not All Thumbs The massage (around $80) begins with the placement of a warm stone in each hand, followed by a variety of massage strokes on the hands and arms with warm oil (made, wouldn't you know, from blackberry powder, along with other compounds) and an emphasis on the thenar, the fleshy mass at the base of the thumb. The idea, according to a Hyatt press release, is to "encourage faster, more comfortable PDA usage" by "counteracting tension . . . in the thumbs and overworked wrists." Will that work?

Digital R&R Short-term, perhaps. Myofascial massage is an alternative medicine technique that aims to ease pain and increase range of motion by stretching the fascia, or connective tissue covering body parts. Massage can be a useful part of treatment and help relieve pain, says Sam Dovelle, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist at Rehabilitation Services of Greater Washington. But, he adds, "you cannot manage BlackBerry thumb with myofascial massage if you don't take time off the BlackBerry and give the tissue some time to heal." As with many repetitive stress injuries, a combination of rest, splinting, icing and elevation of the sore finger may speed healing, he says. Peck out that e-mail to your boss.

-- Meaghan Wolff