Orthopedic Injuries from Video Games: A Literature Review and Implications for the Future

Truong, Phong; Long, Truong; Le, Tuan; Kuklova, Kristina

doi:10.23937/2643-4016/1710020

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Starting with physical disorders, these include mainly mechanical injuries to the musculoskeletal and peripheral nervous systems. Some examples include head and neck pain [34], lower back pain syndrome [35], upper limb disorders (including hands) [36,37], and even lower extremity injuries [38], although these pertain mostly to more casual-oriented video games that require physical movement (e.g., Wii Sports, 2006) [38]. In this case, musculoskeletal disorders may also entail nerve entrapment syndromes, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and Guyon canal syndrome [39].…”

Section: The Price Of Striving To Performmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prevalence and Outlook of Doping in Electronic Sports (Esports): An Original Study and Review of the Overlooked Medical Challenges

Słyk,

Zarzycki,

Grudzień

et al. 2023

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe first electronic sports (esports) tournament was recorded in 1972, and since then, gaming leagues and tournaments with prizes have been established. Nowadays, the commercialization of competitive gaming may drive players to cheat their way to success and neglect their physical and mental well-being. The issue is all the more vital, as it is often overlooked by classically educated doctors, including sports medicine specialists. The aim of this study was to investigate the current situation of doping in esports and the future of anti-doping actions in this field, as well as to present a more generalised approach and to point out and discuss other possible health risks associated with the rising popularity of esports. MethodsA standardised online survey was published in a social media group for Polish fans and people associated with esports. Two hundred and forty-one responses were collected and subjected to a statistical analysis. Only filled-out forms containing answers to all of the questionnaire's questions from people considering themselves regular players of either League of Legends (LoL) and/or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) were considered viable. The study group was divided into amateur and professional players. The calculation of test power was done post hoc to determine whether the data collected were of sufficient quality to be used further. The normal distribution was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Then, betweengroup differences comparing the data results from the questionnaire were analysed with Mann-Whitney U tests and Chi-square tests. The significance level was set at p <0.05. Then, the literature was screened for relevant articles. ResultsThe majority of gamers (85.5%), despite most of them being amateurs, strive to achieve the best results when playing. Borderline legal substances are commonly used, including energy drinks (97.8%), coffee (81.6%), beer (29.7%), herbs (15.7%), and available medicines (15.1%), while more than half the participants have heard about situations during tournaments involving the use of substances forbidden by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In most answers, there were no significant differences between professionals and amateurs. Statistically significant differences were observed in the following areas: the usage of legal stimulants in the responders' environments; outlooks on implementing more strict anti-doping regulations; and the perceived usage of forbidden doping substances in a tournament setting. ConclusionsE-competitors suffer from a plethora of both physical and mental health problems. These issues may be more prevalent than generally thought and include repetitive strain injuries, sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression. The largest esports organisations have started to implement measures to provide a holistic approach to esports healthcare; however, it remains a distant dream for most amateurs and aspiring eathletes.

show abstract

Section: The Price Of Striving To Performmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prevalence and Outlook of Doping in Electronic Sports (Esports): An Original Study and Review of the Overlooked Medical Challenges

Słyk,

Zarzycki,

Grudzień

et al. 2023

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Esports players are prone to eyestrain, followed by neck and back pain. Apart from that, esports players are also susceptible to wrist and hand injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome ( 2 , 10 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing health risks and musculoskeletal issues between professional and casual mobile esports players: a cross-sectional descriptive study in Jakarta

Kurniawan,

Darusman,

Chesar

et al. 2024

Front. Sports Act. Living

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mobile gaming poses significant health risks, such as musculoskeletal (MSK) and eye problems, as players maintain the same posture for long periods. The objective of the current study is to describe the prevalence and assess the association of musculoskeletal and eye problems among professional gamers (PG) and casual gamers (CG) with their physical activity level and physical fitness. A total of 94 mobile-gaming athletes (43 PG, 51 CG) were prospectively recruited in this study. Descriptive analysis was performed for BMIs, fatigue scores, musculoskeletal problems profile, and eye problems profile. The associations between physical activity level, BMI, grip strength, flexibility, and MSK injury were tested with a Chi-square test. A total of 65.96% of the players experienced MSK complaints, with the shoulder (26.2%), neck (25.4%), and hand (21.3%) being the top three affected regions. This study also found ocular issues among the players, with eye fatigue (n = 50) as the most frequent complaint. Differential outcomes were observed between the PG and CG groups regarding physical activity (p = 0.001) and flexibility (p = 0.02). Conversely, no statistically significant variances were detected between the PG and CG concerning musculoskeletal (MSK) disorder indicators (p = 1.000), body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.132), body fat (BF) percentage (p = 0.317), grip strength (p = 0.006 for the right side, p = 0.116 for the left side), or waist circumference (p = 0.680). Furthermore, a significant association was observed between physical activity and BMI (p = 0.029). Study results showed that two-thirds of players experienced MSK injury, with the most common complaints being neck, shoulder, hand, and wrist pain. All participants reported at least one eye problem, with the majority reporting multiple complaints. There were significant differences observed in physical activity and flexibility between the PG and CG groups; however, no correlation was found between musculoskeletal injury incidence and the players’ physical fitness variables. This lack of correlation may be attributed to the relatively short career span of gamers.

show abstract

“…16 The issue of physical complaints in esports players is the same as in the context of occupational health; esports practice requires long periods of computer and console use while sitting in poor postures, repetitive or forceful movements, and prolonged screen exposure. [17][18][19][20][21][22] However, few empirical studies have examined the association between esports activities and physical complaints among esports players. A cross-sectional study reported that esports players with musculoskeletal pain participated in less esports training than those without pain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical complaints and their relationships to esports activities among Japanese esports players: A cross-sectional study

Monma,

Matsui,

Koyama

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the evolving landscape of electronic sports (esports), where economic and social expectations are soaring, a critical concern has emerged in physical complaints among esports players. However, empirical insights into these complaints’ prevalence and influencing factors are scarce. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence of physical complaints and their association with esports activities among Japanese esports players. A web-based cross-sectional survey encompassing 175 esports players from both professional and amateur teams in Japan was conducted. The analysis focused on 79 male participants (average age: 21.6 ± 5.6 years) with complete responses. The survey items included the esports factors (the device mainly used, the duration of esports titles played primarily, hours of esports activities per day on weekdays and holidays, and the distance between the screen and the face during esports activities) and physical complaints (headache, neck pain, stiff or sore shoulders, wrist pain, finger pain, lower back pain, and eye fatigue). A total of 49.4% reported stiff or sore shoulders, 48.1% faced eye fatigue, and 30.4% had headaches. Professionals exhibited a significantly higher likelihood of neck, wrist, and lower back pain and eye fatigue than amateurs. Age-adjusted logistic regression analysis uncovered that using mainly mobile devices and being closer to the screen and face during esports activities were significantly associated with neck pain, stiff or sore shoulders, lower back pain, and eye fatigue. These results suggest that poor posture caused by using mobile devices and being closer to the screen during esports activities was related to various physical complaints.

show abstract

Orthopedic Injuries from Video Games: A Literature Review and Implications for the Future

Cited by 5 publications

References 16 publications

The Prevalence and Outlook of Doping in Electronic Sports (Esports): An Original Study and Review of the Overlooked Medical Challenges

The Prevalence and Outlook of Doping in Electronic Sports (Esports): An Original Study and Review of the Overlooked Medical Challenges

Comparing health risks and musculoskeletal issues between professional and casual mobile esports players: a cross-sectional descriptive study in Jakarta

Physical complaints and their relationships to esports activities among Japanese esports players: A cross-sectional study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About