Sony Responds To "PlayStation Palm" Diagnosis

Andy Chalk

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Nov 12, 2002
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Sony Responds To "PlayStation Palm" Diagnosis


Sony [http://www.sony.com] has responded to the new skin condition diagnosis of "PlayStation palmar hidradenitis" - PlayStation Palm - and it doesn't sound like the company is ready to buy into it just yet.

It was British Journal of Dermatology [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/89680-Gamers-Suffer-From-PlayStation-Palmar-Hidradenitis] had coined the term "PlayStation palmar hidradenitis" for a skin condition caused by excessive gaming. The original diagnosis by Swiss doctors of a 12-year-old girl suffering from sore, red lumps on her palms was of "idiopathic eccrine hidradenitis," a condition that normally appears on the soles of the feet; the "idiopathic" means doctors recognized the condition but were unsure of the cause.

It was eventually determined that her gaming habits were to blame and after ten days of no gaming the condition cleared up completely. Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists [http://www.bad.org.uk/] suggested "it might be sensible" to take a break now and then, particularly if you're finding swollen red lumps on your palms.

It's too bad for Sony that the PlayStation [http://www.playstation.com] has been tagged as the world's first disease-carrying game console, but under the circumstances there was little the doctors could do. Xbox Eczema? Too esoteric. Wii Wrist? Visually alliterative but it just doesn't flow. Nintendo Knuckle? Nice ring to it but aside from being related to the hand it doesn't have anything to do with the actual condition.

I'm not sure what steps have to be taken to make the term "official" but I'd say that at this point, the damage is done and "PlayStation Palm" is a part of the lexicon whether Sony likes it or not. Nonetheless, the company has weighed in to make sure everyone knows that this isn't actually its fault. "We firmly believe that video gaming is a legitimate entertainment pastime like watching movies, listening to music, or reading books," a Sony rep told MCV [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/33348/Sony-speaks-out-on-PlayStation-Rash].

"As with any leisure pursuit there are possible consequences of not following common sense, health advice and guidelines, as can be found within our instruction manuals," the rep continued. "PlayStation was launched in 1995 and has sold hundreds of millions of consoles over the last 13 years. We would not wish to belittle this research and we will study the findings with interest, but this is the first time we have ever heard of a complaint of this nature."


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Doug

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Apr 23, 2008
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I would have preferred if they worked in the words "Stupid" or "Obsessive nut". Seriously, if you're playing console games so much you've developed red lumps on your hands, you need to take more breaks between gaming sessions.
 

Brokkr

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Nov 25, 2008
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The only controller that I have ever been injured from is the N64 controller while playing Mario Party. In some of the minigames, the best way to win is to put the palm of your hand on the control stick and rotate it as fast as possible. I scraped a couple layers of skin off my hand a couple of times doing that.
 

Sir Ollie

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Jan 14, 2009
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Good for Sony don't take this shit, its not their fault that someone can't take breaks
 

Pirce

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Nov 5, 2008
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I find this all very strange, I've been playing video games quite a lot since I was two and I've never gotten anything like this before. And this is coming from a guy who played Street Fighter for so long that he had to get muscle relaxer shot into his hand.
 

Abedeus

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Sep 14, 2008
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If I break my keyboard on the head, will I get a medical condition for stupidity?
 

Lunar Shadow

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Wouldukindly said:
I've got a calleus on my wrist from playing PC games too much, do I get to name that now?
I have "Wanker's Wrist" due to PC gaming. I don't mean that I was actually doing he deed, but alot of mouse use causes the same wrist issues.
 

Gladion

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Malygris said:
It's too bad for Sony that the PlayStation [http://www.playstation.com] has been tagged as the world's first disease-carrying game console, but under the circumstances there was little the doctors could do. Xbox Eczema? Too esoteric. Wii Wrist? Visually alliterative but it just doesn't flow. Nintendo Knuckle? Nice ring to it but aside from being related to the hand it doesn't have anything to do with the actual condition.
This is wrong. There are many sicknesses named after consoles, this is definetly not the first. The most recent I can remember was the "Wiiitis", some sort of pain in the shoulders, caused by playing too much on the Wii. That's the official story, but I say it was just a bunch of nerds who aren't used to sports playing on the Wii for a few hours too long.
 

Brotherofwill

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Jan 25, 2009
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What the fuck is up with people? Are you seriously buying this? A Playstation disease?
I'm really beginning to hate the media...
I don't even want to know how many people injure themselves with the Wii
 

ckeymel

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Jun 24, 2008
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It seems bizarre that something like this would crop up only just now - perhaps its caused more by the controller shape or the plastic used or something like that... and was it contributed to the PS because all people who were suffering used only/mostly the PS? There should be some connection to the console other than it sounded best, otherwise couldn't Sony sell for defamation or something like that?
 

Andy Chalk

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Nov 12, 2002
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For the record, you have no idea how hard I tried to work a masturbation joke in there.
 

Eagle Est1986

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ckeymel said:
It seems bizarre that something like this would crop up only just now - perhaps its caused more by the controller shape or the plastic used or something like that... and was it contributed to the PS because all people who were suffering used only/mostly the PS? There should be some connection to the console other than it sounded best, otherwise couldn't Sony sell for defamation or something like that?
So far it's a one off case. I'm not even convinced that she was using a playstation controller.

It's so stupid really, Sony have every right to argue this point, their controller has changed very little since they brought out the original Playstation, over a decade later before someone gets this affliction? I'd hardly put that down to being Sony's fault, in anyway.
 

MrGFunk

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Oct 29, 2008
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Malygris said:
Sony Responds To "PlayStation Palm" Diagnosis
During a particularly heavy burnout weekend a about 5 months ago I did get some red marks in the palms of my hands from the sixaxis. Didn't think much of it at the time. Now I know I've had the disease I feel a bit silly. It was worth it though.

Maybe I should get a dual shock?
 

nova18

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Feb 2, 2009
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It annoys me that this has nothing to do with Sony, so why drag them into this.

This same skin problem can come from driving for too long, playing any type of console, texting too much, anything that would cause your hands too sweat.

God knows I have had many long hours of gaming and still have the hands of a baby (not literally, that's illegal).
 

dorm41baggins

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Feb 24, 2009
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Malygris said:
...The original diagnosis by Swiss doctors of a 12-year-old girl suffering from sore, red lumps on her palms was of "idiopathic eccrine hidradenitis,"...
Am I the only one who initially misread this as "idiotic eccrine hidradenitis"?
 

AceDiamond

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Jul 7, 2008
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This isn't the first condition to be named after videogames by a long shot.

There was Nintendonitis in the 80s, for example.
 

Jumplion

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Mar 10, 2008
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I always thought that a disease would include bacteria or viruses or something. I'd consider this more of a medical condition than a disease.

But hey! That just shows how biologically-incompetent I am!