eSports players dedicate hours to this discipline and there are numerous cases of young professionals who have retired from competition due to injuries to the back, hands and elbows. Preventing them is possible by knowing the associated pathologies and taking into account a series of habits, something that Dr. Antonio Hernández Lecuona, head of the Traumatology and Orthopedic Surgery Service of the Hospiten Rambla University Hospital, confirms.
"The most frequent injuries are those that affect the back, due to the time these players spend sitting in front of the computer, while holding the console controls for long periods of time can cause more serious injuries," he says.
The professional eSports player of Club Deportivo Tenerife, Andrés Rodríguez 'Andyelmessy', is aware of this and that is why he goes to the Hospiten Rambla University Hospital every year for a check-up "to be at the highest level for competitions," explains the player.
Taking care of thumbs, wrists and elbows
The thumbs suffer from De Quervain's tendinitis (inflammation of the lining of the long abductor and short extensor tendons of the finger) and trigger finger tendinitis, which affects the tendons that flex it.
The well-known carpal tunnel syndrome is another of the conditions that eSports players encounter, due to the fixed position that their hands maintain during games and, above all, in those that need a keyboard to develop.
At the elbow level, the most serious injury is lateral epicondylitis, better known as tennis elbow, which produces inflammation of the tendons that connect the muscles of the forearm with the outside of the elbow.
The importance of rest
"Rest periods are very important," says Dr. Hernández Lecuona, since it is a sport that involves stress on the hands and requires maintaining a static posture for a long time. For this reason, he recommends that, in games with long games (more than 20 minutes), "take breaks of at least five minutes between games," he explains. For short plays, establishing breaks of 10 minutes every 40 minutes is enough.
To avoid spinal injuries, the specialist advises adopting a correct posture, without leaning forward and keeping the lumbar area supported on the back of the chair, which should be personalized taking into account the physical characteristics of each player.
Good equipment, essential to prevent injuries
Regarding the equipment used during games, it is recommended that the computer monitor be at the height of the player's eyes and at a distance of approximately one arm's length. The keyboard should have an inclination of 15 degrees upwards, in order to place the wrists in a neutral position and that the elbows have an approximate flexion of 30 degrees. The mouse must be located at a sufficient distance from the keyboard that allows it to be handled comfortably.
"When holding the console controller, players usually rest their forearms on their thighs and tilt their back forward, which can eventually cause spinal injuries," says Dr. Hernández Lecuona, so he advises resting them on a table to avoid it.
Warm-up and stretching
The specialist points out that "it is essential to have a correct warm-up routine to develop this practice without injuries, warming up the muscles and joints with different exercises." When finished playing, he considers that "the most appropriate thing is to develop a stretching table, which includes exercises that stretch both finger by finger, as well as the wrist and elbow."
About the Hospiten Group
Hospiten Group is an international healthcare network committed to providing a service of the highest quality, with more than 50 years of experience, which has twenty private medical-hospital centers in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and Panama. It is chaired by Dr. Pedro Luis Cobiella and annually serves more than 1,900,000 patients from all over the world, and has a staff of more than 5,000 people.
