Gamers, have your hands ever hurt after furiously clicking away at that mouse or after holding that controler for hours on end? You may be becoming a victim of Carpal tunnel syndrome. No, this doesn't mean you're dying. It just means that you may be a victim of a simple injury due to overuse.
What is it?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is an injury that doesn't just affect gamers. It also affects people that do most of their work on computers, and people that work as assemblers in a variety of manufacturing jobs. What happens here is that when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the palm of the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist, you start to get irritation in the forearm, wrist, and hand after a prolonged time.2 This syndrome can be as mild as just a slight irritation but can become severe enough to where you can’t differentiate between hot and cold by touch. It is also known by the gaming community by a couple of different names, gamer’s thumb, nintendonitis, Nintendo thumb, and even WASD Wrist to name a few of them.
How is it caused?
Carpal tunnel can be caused simply by having to press the same button over and over again1, I’m looking at you FPS guys. It can also be from holding your hand an awkward angle, repetitive mouse movements over a long period of time, or from a physical injury to the wrist that does not fully heal. There are other congenital causes but we won’t deal with those here.
What to do if this affects you?
Well with all issues, sometimes stretching helps. Stretching isn’t really a cure for this, but it can relieve some of the tension and take away the pain. The key here is if it starts hurting, set the control down and take a break. There is no reason to hurt yourself playing a game. If the issue still persists after a break and some stretching or continues to hurt for multiple days, it is probably time to make some changes. Switch your mouse or keyboard to a more ergonomic style. This can ease a lot of tension in the hand and wrist due to the angle that they set at for a lengthy time. If this issue continues to worsen, due yourself a favor and see a doctor. The inflammation can be treated with a dose of inflammatories, but if the issue is more serious you could be looking at surgery or a couple of trips to see a chiropractor.
As with any and all health related issues, just be smart, take preventative measures. A little break is a lot better than having to spend time in the doctor's office. If you feel like it's going to become serious, treating sooner is always better than treating later. Until next time gamers, game safe!
References
1Dube, R. (2013, September 18). 5 Dangerous Gaming Injuries And How To Avoid Them. Retrieved May 30, 2016, from http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-dangerous-gaming-injuries-and-how-to-avoid-them/
2Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Fact Sheet. (2012, July). Retrieved May 30, 2016, from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.html
Very interesting topic, I can relate. When I was younger, I had an obsession with video games. I would play video games until my hand cramped up.
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