Myofascial Release Can Relieve Muscle Tension

Sep 19, 2022 | Gaming and Your Body, Treatments | 0 Comments

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]....

Controller Drift: the Curse and Cure

Aug 29, 2022 | Gamer News Updates, The Whole Gamer | 0 Comments

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...

A Legendary Esports Player and His Battle With Wrist Injuries

Aug 14, 2022 | Gamer News Updates, Gaming and Your Body, The Whole Gamer | 0 Comments

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...

3 Things that Could Make The Witcher 4 Great

Jul 25, 2022 | Gamer News Updates, The Whole Gamer | 0 Comments

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes 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...

Braces Help Reduce Injuries and Promote Recovery

Jul 18, 2022 | Equipment, Gaming and Your Body | 0 Comments

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....

The Link Between Gaming and Repetitive Stress Injuries

Jun 13, 2022 | Gaming and Your Body | 0 Comments

Most avid gamers or eSports competitors spend up to 14 hours a day, six days a week using devices that require rapid, precise hand movements. This means that the average gamer or eSports professional may at one time or another experience a repetitive stress injury. This type of injury refers to pain in the muscles, tendons, or nerves of a joint that has become strained due to repetitive movements [1]. The hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders, elbows, and neck are most commonly affected by repetitive stress injuries. People may experience symptoms like pain, swelling, inflammation, muscle strain, or tissue damage. This kind of overuse injury typically affects young adults and is more common in women than men [2]. PC gamers tend to experience frequent problems in their wrists, while console...

“Dead Butt” Syndrome: What It Is and What to Do About It

May 16, 2022 | CBD Solutions, Gaming and Your Body | 0 Comments

It may sound funny, but “dead butt” syndrome is no joke. If lots of time sitting makes you feel numbness, soreness, pain, or stiffness, you may be experiencing dead butt syndrome. What is “dead butt” syndrome? Dead butt syndrome, or gluteus medius tendinopathy, is usually caused by frequent sitting. It happens when your glute muscles ‘forget’ their main function and fail to keep your body in alignment. In other words, sitting for long periods of time without using your glutes can hinder your nervous system’s ability to control them. Dead butt syndrome (DBS) can cause a range of postural imbalances, which is why it often goes hand in hand with lower cross syndrome, a muscle imbalance marked by visible anterior pelvic tilt. These two conditions are different, but...

Don’t Let Carpal Tunnel Hurt Your Game

Apr 18, 2022 | Gaming and Your Body | 0 Comments

If you game or type at a computer, you’ve probably heard of carpal tunnel syndrome. But, what is it … exactly? Also referred to as median nerve compression, carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful condition characterized by tingling, weakness, or numbness in the wrist and hand [1]. It’s one of the most common injuries among avid gamers and eSports professionals, especially those who play computer video games [2, 3]. Repeatedly gripping a mouse or controller for console or computer games typically causes this type of injury. What’s a Carpal Tunnel? There are a number of structures in the hand that are used during repetitive gaming movements. These include the carpal tunnel, carpal bones, median nerve, and more. [3] The wrist contains rows of carpal bones that surround a small passage...

CBD and Inflammation

Feb 11, 2022 | CBD Solutions | 0 Comments

Inflammation isn’t always bad, but it can be painful. When you get a gaming injury your body may send out inflammatory cells to attack bacteria or heal damaged tissue. When inflammatory cells are released as a response to injury, that’s called acute inflammation. It's temporary - it usually only lasts for a few days - and effective. That’s great, but that immune reaction can also lead to swelling and biochemical processes that affect nerves and cause pain. How much pain can acute inflammation cause? Acute inflammation can vary from painless to severe. Painless symptoms may include redness or being warm to the touch. More severe pain can be constant, throbbing, pulsating, or pinching. Acute inflammation pain isn’t likely to send you to an emergency room but it can certainly...

Gamer? We’ve Got Your Back!

Dec 17, 2021 | Gaming and Your Body | 0 Comments

Whether you’re a professional gamer or simply a passionate player, you’ve probably experienced back pain. But did you know gaming could be the cause? Gamers who spend long hours sitting in an unnatural position while they play often develop back pain. If not properly treated, this can lead to long-term health issues [2]. But there’s good news! We’ve got scientific strategies and information that will help prevent back trouble. So you can play your favorite games pain-free! Why Gaming Can Be a Pain Gamers tend to slouch and sink down into their seats causing their lower back to curve. This poor posture leads to an uneven distribution of weight around the spine, lower back and hips. It also compresses vertebrae in the spine. This compression is often linked to pain and inflammation....

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