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. . . he has created will fit most people. Later on he hopes to add a medium sized Thumbsaver to his lineup.

A growing need

Within the massage therapy field, it is widely recognized that thumbs and wrists can take a beating.

"We run articles about various physical problems they develop, and how to deal with them," said Ron Precht, a spokesman for the American Massage Therapy Association.

While massage therapists would still constitute a very narrow market, it is one that is growing quickly.

In just the United States, the number of massage therapy schools has doubled in the past 10 years from 1,000 to 2,000.

As of the end of 2004, there were 200,000 to 220,000 massage therapists and massage school students in the United States, Precht said.

Carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful wrist condition, is one of the principal occupational hazards.

Like most massage therapy schools, Core Institute in Tallahassee puts heavy emphasis on hand care and on massage techniques that won't take too heavy a toll on the well-being of the therapist.

"The thumb was not designed to be used as a battering ram," said Core President George Kousaleos.

He said neuromuscular therapy and the Japanese style massage called shiatsu both overwork the thumb.

"Unfortunately, certain therapies have the thumb used for compressive force, not really moving the thumb, but applying direct pressure and sustaining that for 30 seconds to a minute."

Next on the agenda

At least when it comes to marketing his product, Polins doesn't have to go around asking the FedEx delivery man where he should go.

His brother, Eric R. Polins, is a partner in an established Tampa-based marketing firm, Hill, Coniglio, Polins & Associates.

"They do TV, brochures, everything," Greg Polins said.

As for packaging, at present it is Polins who does everything.

His first retail outlet is Tools for Life, a Sarasota business that specializes in massage therapy gear.

Then he landed an order for 1,000 Thumbsavers from a fellow Sarasota entrepreneur who is assembling a massage therapy kit.

Filling those orders is a tedious job that requires burning the midnight oil.

First, he stamps his logo onto the bright red and blue plastic parts he has received from a factory in Taiwan. Then he inserts the Thumbsaver along with printed instructions into a correctly sized plastic bag. Then he takes one of the labels

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