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Professional gaming is brutal on the body – inside the growing field of treating esports injuries
Professional gaming is brutal on the body – inside the growing field of treating esports injuries. Originally published by The Conversation.
By Erica D. Henn, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Exercise Science, Temple University · 2026-08-31T04:20:06.264Z
A Taiwanese gamer from the esports team Flash Wolves takes pills during a training session for the 'League of Legends' World Championship at a boot camp in Shanghai. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images Chinese esports player Jian “Uzi” Zi hao was more than a star “League of Legends” player: He was so talented that his team structured its entire strategy around his abilities https://www.washingtonpost.com/video games/esports/2019/10/02/fakers michael jordan like return highlights league legends world championship story lines/ , funneling resources to him and another teammate, Shi “Ming” Sen Ming, so the duo could lead the team to victory. Over the course of his career, he earned more than US$500,000 https://www.esportsearnings.com/players/4038 uzi jian zihao in tournament prize money. And yet in 2020, Jian announced his retirement https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020 06 03/ Uzi Out LOL legend gamer Uzi retires due to injuries and diabetes R1IjWiC6XK/index.html , his storied career cut short by chronic wrist and arm injuries. He was 25 years old. Video games have a reputation for keeping people glued to the couch. But for those who compete against the best players in the world, gaming can be surprisingly physically and mentally taxing. The strain of ‘climbing the ladder’ The best esports players often have grinding schedules. They’re expected to regularly practice, participate in scrimmages and compete in official matches. Even at the recreational level, esports players cite the mental toll https://www.espn.com/esports/story/ /id/24427802/mental health issues esports remain silent very real threat players : playing for hours a day, every day, to hone their skills so they can “ climb the ladder https://www.redbull.com/int en/league of legends top tips to climb the elo ladder .” A 2021 study of Portuguese esports players https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem 2021 001149 found that 37% experienced anxiety and depression, and 45% experienced sleep disturbances. The most common physical injuries in esports generally fall under eye problems and musculoskeletal issues. Prolonged screen time leads to many types of vision problems in gamers, from the more common eye fatigue to a decreased ability to focus https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7050 . Furthermore, the light emitted from screens appears to contribute to sleep disturbances https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224893 by disrupting the release of melatonin https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23411 melatonin , the hormone that helps regulate your sleep wake cycle.
A member of the all female computer gaming team QWER uses eye drops at her team’s training center in Seoul. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images Many esport players – professional or otherwise – also battle hand and wrist pain, with repetitive button smashing causing injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and “ gamer’s thumb https://www.assh.org/handcare/condition/gamers texters thumb ,” which arises from overuse or irritation of the tendons around the thumb and wrist. Many of the overuse injuries seen among video game players are also familiar to assembly line workers https://doi.org/10.1016/s0266 7681 95 80047 6 , whose jobs can involve similarly repetitive movements https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/engcontrols/ecd/detail148.html . Then there are the back injuries. Players can remain seated for three or more hours without a break, and this prolonged sitting can take a toll on the lower back and spine. The sedentary nature of esports has also led to a lesser known – sometimes fatal – injury called deep vein thrombosis https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases conditions/deep vein thrombosis/symptoms causes/syc 20352557 : a blood clot, often in the leg, that can become life threatening if it travels to the lungs. In 2011, British gamer Chris Staniforth – who would play for as long as 12 hours at a time – died of the condition https://abcnews.com/Health/extreme gamer dies pulmonary embolism/story?id=14212015 . Preventative measures As more esports injury research has been published, more treatment and prevention strategies have emerged. Top esports teams https://newyorktechesports.com/news/2021/11/1/meet our esports medical team.aspx?path=midteam now have physical therapists, performance psychologists https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/04 05/psychologists shaping esports , athletic trainers and even massage therapists https://fulcrumtherapy.ca/blog/massage therapy for pro gamers/ on staff to optimize the performance and recovery of their players. Teams often incorporate group exercise activities to both build rapport among players and reduce the risk of injuries. During competition, proper positioning of the spine and limbs has become an essential injury prevention strategy. For example, selecting a chair https://www.safety.pitt.edu/ehs/ergonomics/how choose ergonomic chair that encourages an upright posture can reduce pain and injury risk, especially when gamers couple ergonomics with an exercise program https://doi.org/10.33438/ijdshs.1481857 that centers on functional strength, mobility and stretching of the upper limbs.
Brazilian esports athletes attend a physical training session in Rio de Janeiro in May 2021. Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images Looking to the stage When esports began gaining mainstream popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s, its proponents were eager to draw comparisons to traditional sports and athletic competition. The parallels helped establish esports’ legitimacy and gave non gamers a familiar framework for understanding the competition. As esports became a big business https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2022/03/07/In Depth/Esports/ and a lucrative career path https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824 026 09603 2 , players and teams hired a web of support staff – trainers, coaches and therapists – that mirrored the structure of professional sports. In this vein, a lot of esports injury research has pulled from the training methods of traditional sports. However, as a scholar of exercise science https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=A3PKgbUAAAAJ , I think injury treatment and prevention strategies could be further improved by seeing esports competitors as more like musicians and dancers than football players and basketball players. Performance optimization and injury research on professional performing artists has existed for centuries, and I think it represents a valuable, untapped resource. That’s because the physical and mental stresses experienced during musical performance have a lot in common with esports competition: long stretches of sitting; small, dexterous hand movements; and performing without the real time input of a coach. For example, biomechanics research has found similar patterns of forearm muscle fatigue among esports players https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102 025 01305 0 and piano players https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598 021 87403 8 . However, no studies to date have directly compared the two groups. And what if the interest in joint hypermobility https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199310073291504 or hand size https://doi.org/10.1016/S0753 9053 98 80030 6 among performing artists were translated to esport populations? Could popular piano warm up exercises be effective for esports athletes who use keyboards? Even research on sports like car racing might offer valuable insights. As with gamers, many people overlook how physically demanding car racing can be https://theconversation.com/think being a nascar driver isnt as physically demanding as other sports think again 207189 – and yes, that includes sitting for extended periods of time.
A member of the esport team Vitality observes a demonstration of a reflex training machine in Enstone, England. Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images Prevention and rehabilitation techniques continue to improve. Even Jian, the player who retired in 2020, returned to play for a few splits, or partial seasons, in 2022 and 2023 https://lol.fandom.com/wiki/Uzi Jian Zi Hao . In July 2023, “League of Legends” star Lee “Faker” Sang hyeok was relegated to the bench https://sg.news.yahoo.com/t1 faker to take break due to arm injury league of legends 142944810.html due to cubital tunnel syndrome https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions and diseases/cubital tunnel syndrome , an injury that emerges from arm and hand overuse. Through a treatment plan https://www.oneesports.gg/league of legends/t1 faker lck summer return/ that included changing his gaming posture and intensive physical therapy, Lee was able to return to play just a month later. He went on to win three consecutive world championships, with his support team helping prevent recurrence of injury throughout each season. Thanks to his rehabilitation, Lee’s fans will be able to follow his hunt for his fourth “League of Legends” World Championship, which kicks off in October 2026 https://lol.fandom.com/wiki/2026 Season World Championship in the United States. Sienna Cinti assisted with the research and writing of this article.
Erica D. Henn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.