Repetitive actions and prolonged sitting can lead to muscle strains and aches in gamers and esports professionals. The most common injury sites are in the neck, wrist, fingers, forearms, elbows, and back [1]. Like other athletes, gamers should address these injuries as soon as they occur to avoid long-term problems that can reduce mobility and performance. Especially since playing video games for even just three hours a day is correlated with muscular dysfunction and injuries [2].
While it’s common knowledge that you should take breaks, drink plenty of water, and stretch after playing video games, there are other activities that might help you get rid of muscle tightness and knots. Myofascial release, a type of massage, is an effective way to relieve pain and muscle aches [3, 4]. Myofascial release is a therapy technique that involves applying deep pressure to the muscle and fascia (the connective tissue in your muscles). After prolonged sitting or in response to recurrent small movements, muscle fascia can become excessively stiff and cause pain in particular areas.
You can greatly reduce tightness and discomfort in these painful pressure points by using items like foam rollers for your back and major muscles, or even lacrosse balls or harder handheld objects for smaller areas like your neck and forearms. More frequent esports-related injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain, and tennis elbow can be treated with myofascial release therapy. Performing myofascial release therapy on your forearms has been demonstrated to significantly relieve pain and help prevent both carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow [5, 6]. Myofascial release has also been shown to help alleviate back pain [7].
Evidence suggests that myofascial release therapy can increase range of motion, muscle recovery, and even blood flow [4]. Incorporating myofascial release therapy into your daily routine can greatly reduce pain and tension in your muscles when gaming. It can be useful to spend 5-10 minutes gently working your muscles all throughout your body. This enables you to locate pressure and pain sites so that you can spend more time exerting sustained pressure on those areas to loosen them.
Myofascial release therapy can be painful at first. For long-term relief, pressing through the pain is crucial. However, when the pain is too severe and not being reduced by the therapy, it’s essential to back off. After your muscles have had time to recover from your previous session, take a break and return to the area. If myofascial release therapy does not relieve your muscle discomfort and sprains, there may be a more serious injury at hand that requires medical attention to maintain your best gaming performance.
Overall, myofascial release treatment can be a fantastic tool for esports players to keep their muscle strains at bay and maintain optimal performance. Best of all, myofascial release is a beneficial habit that can be easily added to your daily routine.
McGee, C., et al., More Than a Game: Musculoskeletal Injuries and a Key Role for the Physical Therapist in Esports. 2021, JOSPT, Inc. JOSPT, 1033 North Fairfax Street, Suite 304, Alexandria, VA …. p. 415-417.
Tholl, C., et al., Musculoskeletal disorders in video gamers–a systematic review. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2022. 23(1): p. 1-16.
Emara, A.K., et al., Gamer’s health guide: optimizing performance, recognizing hazards, and promoting wellness in esports. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2020. 19(12): p. 537-545.
Beardsley, C. and J. Škarabot, Effects of self-myofascial release: a systematic review. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 2015. 19(4): p. 747-758.
Kazantzidou, V., et al., The efficacy of manual techniques in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms: A narrative review. Int. J Orthop Sci, 2021. 7(2): p. 423-427.
Ajimsha, M., S. Chithra, and R.P. Thulasyammal, Effectiveness of myofascial release in the management of lateral epicondylitis in computer professionals. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 2012. 93(4): p. 604-609.
Wu, Z., et al., Myofascial release for chronic low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in medicine, 2021. 8: p. 697986.
You’re in the middle of a Smash Bros. Ultimate online battle. Your opposition has been tea-bagging the entire time, gimping, and meteor smashing you. You finally get the upper hand with only one more stock. You’re off the side of the stage, and they’re ready to Meteor Smash you again. You press to dodge and clutch the side of the stage to the right, but you dodge to the left and start free falling. And there they are, tea-bagging again, as you’ve just thrown the match because of one controller error.
Dust is a Real Problem
If your characters move when you’re not pressing anything, then your controller might be suffering from a terrible phenomenon known as controller drift. Controller drift is a malfunction of the control stick that leads to undetectable pressure being put on it. The drift can be continuous or quick, but it is a problem deep within the controller. Essentially, the most common culprit is dust. There’s space around the base of the stick that can collect microscopic intruders, like dust flakes or even food. Leaving your controller out in the open can lead to dust developing deep within the controller. As a result, you get control drift.
Wear and Tear can be a Problem, Too
It’s also possible that the stick has can become worn with repeated use. Controllers are built to respond to the most sensitive of movements. If you find yourself aggressively pushing the stick or banging your controller down after a rage quit, then you could be wearing away at the hardware. Companies might need to address this problem with updated, heavy-duty products or some kits to replace worn parts. Until then, it’s up to us to save our money and our controllers.
With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility
Most importantly, you want to make sure that your controller is clean and stored in a safe place. Preferably, keep it away from exposure to dust in a tightly-sealed drawer. Go a step further and use a controller case, too. This will provide an extra layer of protection. Also, there are plenty of DIYs online that explain how to take your controller apart and clean it. There are even tool kits that are made just for this kind of thing. You’ll want to use a Q-tip or even compressed air to clean and treat your controllers right. Keep gaming, and keep it clean.
Lâm Du Hải was a professional League of Legends player. He is most known for his prolific mid-lane talents with Cloud9 and Golden Guardians. Under the moniker “Hai”, he made a name for himself early in his career as one of the best shot-callers in North America, and a key to Cloud9’s success. Hai won two LCS championships with C9 and attended Worlds three times.
Wrist Injury Causes Uncertainty
Hai managed a painful and persistent wrist injury alongside his success. During his time with Cloud9 in 2015, it became apparent that his injury prevented him from training enough to compete at a high level. He publicly stated:
“My wrist injury is something that I simply cannot ignore. It limits my ability to play as much as I need to and my ability to improve. I cannot keep up with the amount of Solo Queue games my teammates play and it’s not fair to them. At best, my wrist injury would have only allowed me to play for another split and that wasn’t even certain.”
Possible Types of Wrist Injuries
The medical details of Hai’s injury aren’t publicly available, but his time with Cloud9, and later with Golden Guardians, showcase a variety of wrist braces. They suggest a long-standing form of wrist injury. Gamer’s wrist and carpal tunnel are both common and preventable injuries that competitive gamers develop through poor posture and improper wrist alignment when gaming.
It’s impossible to perceive the nature of Hai’s injury in terms of how much it impacted his career. Whether he’d have stuck with a struggling C9 instead of leaving when he did isn’t something anyone can know. What is clear is that the injury was a terrible burden on a career that was as prolific as it was long.
A Compelling Career Story
Hai’s shot-calling was known among his peers as arguably the best in North America. Hai’s final LCS showing – in 2018 with Golden Guardians – made it clear that he was still valued for his leadership qualities and sure decision-making, despite not having the mechanical depth that he once boasted. This loss of mechanical depth is yet another question mark permanently stamped on his injury.
After retirement from professional play, Hai contributed to the 2019 LCS analyst desk in between professional matches. He later moved on to starting his own amateur League team “Radiance.” The team, at least for the time being, has frozen operations. The career of Hai isn’t a sorry one. It’s one with incredible displays of skill, longstanding consistency, and the ability to pull otherwise mediocre teams into positions to challenge for titles and international tournament success. All of that said, his career is marred with an asterisk next to his name. The asterisk tells the LCS faithful they aren’t ever going to be sure they got his full potential due to his wrist injury, despite being one of the best North American players of all time.
This year, CD Project RED has confirmed that they’re working on a sequel in The Witcher franchise. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is a classic and a masterpiece to many, with its impressive graphics, lively gameplay, and extensive story. How could they live up to such high standards? Here are some ideas that could make The Witcher 4 rise to the occasion.
1. Keep Geralt as the Main Focus
Depending on which ending you got in The Witcher 3, there’s a lot of insinuation that Geralt wants to hang up his medallion for good. Kaer Morhen is falling apart and aging, just like The Witchers themselves, making them a somewhat fading breed of heroes. As much as retirement would look good on Geralt, we don’t want another bait and switch like what they did with The Last of Us, where Joel was barely playable. We got to play as Ciri for some key moments of the story, which is cool and all, but Geralt will always be our favorite.
As Geralt says in The Witcher 3: “Damn candles.” We all know the pain of trying to loot a crate, but then lighting up a nearby candle…pointlessly. There is no real function to this little trick. As much as it could impress Yennefer during a candlelit dinner, it doesn’t do anything for the game. Removing this function completely would leave many players grateful that they can freely loot without interruption.
3. Online Gameplay
There are already so many elements to The Witcher games, but online compatibility is not one of them. Including an online mode would be a great way to take a break from Story Mode or contracts. Competitive play in the form of a treasure hunt or monster mash would be an epic challenge. There could even be some rewards, such as items, extra coins, or armor for the best of the best. Getting gamers to challenge each other could really add something new and fresh.
Some people think “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” when it comes to franchises, but throwing a curveball and expanding on the realm of possibilities is always exciting for gamers. No matter what the game entails, we all want another chance to roam around the Continent. Until then, we’ll be waiting on the edge of our gaming chairs for more news!
For spectators, esports may seem like a sedentary activity, but professional gamers actually perform hundreds of micromovements every minute. These include rapid keystrokes and mouse clicks that can strain the wrist, fingers, lower arms, neck, and back. Over time, this constant physical load may lead to numerous problems such as muscle weakness, nerve compression, lower back pain, and tendinopathy—the latter of which refers to damaged tendon tissue [1-3].
Due to the nature of esports, professional gamers who don’t take extra precautions may gradually begin to suffer from lingering injuries that make it difficult to enjoy their career due to missed matches. If the pain and discomfort persists, worsens over time, or requires surgery, an avid gamer may even face early retirement.
Esports engage fine motor skills that can gradually and unsuspectingly affect the musculoskeletal system—causing injuries an esports professional is often unaware of until it becomes chronic or burdensome [2, 3]. Taking preventative measures such as using a brace (e.g., wrist brace) before or after a long gaming session can help prevent injuries or promote recovery if an unexpected injury occurs [1, 4-6].
Braces Offer Added Support
A wrist brace —also called a wrist-hand orthosis—can help minimize the risk of injury by reducing pressure on the median nerve in the wrist and preventing awkward wrist movements. The median nerve extends from the forearm through a narrow passage in the wrist called the carpal tunnel and continues into the hand. Compression of the median nerve is linked to carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a common issue for professional gamers [3].
A wrist brace also helps relieve pain and supports recovery by immobilizing the wrist, while allowing the thumb and fingers to move in an unobstructed manner. More specifically, a brace holds the wrist in a straight position—preventing pain that may develop when bending the wrist squeezes the median nerve. Using a brace after a gaming session, as well as during sleep, further improves symptoms of carpal tunnel and other repetitive strain injuries (RSI) linked to esports by keeping excess pressure off of the median nerve [3, 4].
In addition to hand or wrist injuries, avid gamers often report experiencing neck as well as upper and lower back pain due to poor posture while sitting during long sessions [5]. Similar to a wrist brace, a back brace can help relieve pressure on the spine for gamers suffering from mild to moderate back pain. Back braces—also known as lumbar orthoses—afford additional benefits that include [6]:
Accelerating recovery by stabilizing or immobilizing the back
Offering spinal support for weakened spinal discs
Promoting more controlled back movement
Helping to correct existing deformities
Minimizing the progression of spinal bone or muscle damage
Furthermore, research shows that when back braces are used for short periods of time, they target common back issues (e.g., pain, stiffness, spasms) and evenly distribute weight to lower the risk of future back injuries [6].
Overall, braces offer exceptional support for esports professionals. Using braces regularly is a beneficial preventative measure that can help gamers participate in gaming leagues and tournaments for years to come.
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