Video Game Injuries: Prevention and Treatment Strategies for Gaming Enthusiasts
Playing video games can be an enjoyable pastime, but it's essential to be mindful of the potential risks to your health, particularly musculoskeletal problems. Here are some key guidelines to prevent and treat common video game-related injuries.
Prevention
A proactive approach is crucial in avoiding injuries. Before starting a gaming session, warm up and stretch your hands, wrists, and arms to improve blood flow and flexibility, similar to sports warm-ups. Maintain proper hand positioning and ergonomics while playing, using devices or gaming accessories designed to reduce strain on thumbs and wrists.
Taking regular breaks is also vital to avoid overuse injuries. Use protective gear such as gloves or kinesiology tape to support muscles and relieve pressure, especially for tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome. Staying hydrated and adopting a consistent routine can help muscles recover and reduce injury risk.
Treatment
Common gaming injuries like finger blisters, tennis elbow, and carpal tunnel syndrome can be managed effectively with the right approach. For finger blisters, keep the area clean, avoid popping blisters, and use protective coverings if necessary until healed.
Tennis elbow and gamer's wrist respond well to rest, icing, and applying kinesiology tape to support the tendons and reduce strain, combined with strengthening and rehabilitation exercises. For carpal tunnel syndrome, splinting the wrist during play or sleep, using kinesiology tape to reduce pressure on the median nerve, and performing nerve gliding and wrist stretches can relieve symptoms.
Persistent pain may require professional guidance, including physical therapy to learn proper techniques and strengthening exercises. It's important to listen to your body and take breaks when feeling pain while gaming to help avoid or minimize injuries.
While most gaming injuries can be recovered from in a matter of days with proper treatment, some injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome can be serious and may require therapy and rest to treat. In some cases, they may not fully heal depending on the severity of the injury.
It's advisable to limit playtime on new types of controllers to allow muscles and joints to adjust. If tennis elbow persists, it's recommended to see a doctor. Finger blisters can occur while playing video games, particularly in competitive or long gaming sessions. If you get finger blisters while gaming, it's important to give your fingers a break from the game or gaming entirely until the blisters disappear.
Finally, it's worth noting that gamer's wrist, a condition characterised by pain in the wrist joint caused by prolonged and repetitive use, can be exacerbated by holding the controller improperly or at an odd angle, or using specialized controllers not familiar to the user.
Implementing these steps can greatly reduce the risk of injury and support recovery from common gaming-related musculoskeletal problems, ensuring you can continue to enjoy gaming without discomfort.
- To prevent musculoskeletal injuries while gaming, it's recommended to follow guidelines such as warming up and stretching, maintaining proper hand positioning, taking regular breaks, using protective gear, staying hydrated, and adopting a consistent routine.
- In the event of common gaming injuries like finger blisters, tennis elbow, or carpal tunnel syndrome, treatments such as keeping the area clean, using protective coverings, rest, icing, kinesiology tape application, nerve gliding, wrist stretches, splinting, and physical therapy may be necessary for recovery.
