Electronic games (eSports) are increasingly popular, with a large number of players, teams, tournaments and sponsors involved.
More than a hobby, “playing video games” has become a profession for many people. Competitions offer millionaire prizes and require physical and mental preparation from the players. And, like any activity that requires these capabilities, it poses risks to the players’ health.
I spoke with physiotherapist Guilherme Bartkevicius Horst (Crefito 309380-F), who works with eSports practitioners.
He explained that playing for long hours can cause problems such as headaches, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and spinal injuries, among others. Here are more conditions that commonly affect players:
Mental fatigue: playing for long hours requires concentration and can lead to great mental fatigue. This negatively affects the player’s performance and mental well-being.
Vision problems: Staring at the screen for long periods of time can cause eyestrain, blurred vision, and other eye problems.
To minimize these risks, it is important that players adopt healthy habits: they practice physical exercises regularly and have a balanced diet.
Physical exercise will bring physical resistance and muscle strength to withstand the long time sitting in the chair without suffering from pain or injuries from repetitive movements (such as tendinitis). In addition, physical activity promotes mental well-being and helps relieve stress.
It is also important for players to see a doctor if they experience any worrisome symptoms. Practitioners of eSports, as well as in conventional sports, train, compete and need specialized attention to perform at their best during games.
With this, physiotherapy comes to help these players both in injury prevention and injury rehabilitation.
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