Will Today's Texting Teens Be Tomorrow's Disabled Workers?

Online, June 26, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Carpal tunnel syndrome has long been the brunt of comedian fodder. In fact, it's the number one occupational illness in the country, and the most common cause of physical disability in the world. It costs the U.S. alone approximately $850 billion annually. Why is there such a disconnect? It's been called an epidemic and it's about to get worse, warns Jill Gambaro, the author of The Truth About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, as many texting teens will enter the workforce already injured. "Children as young as eight years old already spend 50% more time using their technology than their adult counterparts do at work," says Gambaro. Does this mean we'll see that many more injuries when our students become employees?

These statistics don't even begin to tell the true story behind Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. What medical science doesn't understand, the workers' compensation industry denies and delays. A California report indicates that workers suffering these injuries become stuck in the system three times longer than any other occupational injury or illness, leading to three times the permanent disabilities. Insurance industry-backed reform measures have shifted the cost of those disabilities onto Social Security and Medicare so that most of the responsibility for compensating disabled workers now resides in the federal government. When today's texting teens enter the workforce, one-third of them are expected to have a pre-existing condition from overuse of technology, and 94.8% of Medicare's costs will be covering the disabled.

The Truth About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Finding Answers, Getting Well by Jill Gambaro is available through Rowman & Littlefield and at www.truthaboutcarpaltunnel.com.