The popularity of esports has gained a lot of momentum in recent years. What used to be considered a hobby and pastime for children has become a fully functional industry on a professional level. Like the great athletes in the NFL, NBA and MLB, constant hours of practice and competition will leave their mark on the player and can limit the amount of time spent playing the sport.

Common injuries in e-sports are seen in the wrist, neck, and lower back. All of these are considered overuse injuries and are typical of what one would experience when working in any type of job and staying in one position for many hours at a time for an extended period of time. Typical professional players will play a minimum of 10 to 12 hours per day. Often times with limited breaks during a gaming session. Add this amount of time over weeks, months and years of gaming and it starts to take its toll on the body. Pain of any kind can cause problems with athletic performance. Pain with game athletes can be crucial because the pain is likely to be in an area of ​​the body that should be used for playing. A player’s wrist pain can severely limit the number of hours a player can spend practicing and competing, resulting in the loss of not only a competition, but can also have a terrible impact on the player’s financial gains or of the team.

Playing through pain is also not an adequate solution. By the time an esports player’s injury is strong enough to be noticed, there is a strong indicator that the problem has been developing for quite some time.

Sports injury symptoms to watch out for, including the following:

• Wrist pain: numbness or tingling in the hand or fingertips, weak grip strength, and general malaise.
• Low back pain – numbness or tingling in the buttocks, legs, or feet. Generalized back pain that increases after prolonged sitting.
• Upper back pain: generalized tightness and pain near the shoulders and at the base of the neck.

ESport’s solutions for injuries include taking note of fatigue that changes your posture while playing and any discomfort that occurs while playing. The best solution is to take breaks while you play and stretch as if you were an athlete performing on the field or on the court. A proper stretching routine is a must for any professional eSport athlete.