Video games and posture

I don’t know about you, but sometimes after I sit in the chair for a few hours, I have some minor back pain. Maybe it's because I'm getting old, it could be but probably not. I personally deal with issues of my own posture in a daily basis. From the days of sitting indian style in the floor playing the N64 to now where I recline in my Lazy Boy playing the Xbox, my posture issues still exist. Let’s take a look at why and how we should fix our posture issues.

So you may be asking, what's the big deal with posture?!? I’m young and nothing hurts after I play games for hours! Well my young padawan, you aren’t going to be young forever. If you don’t fix minor issues now, they can become major issues later. So posture is a major issue we gamers really never look at, yet it affects us every time we sit down to play. Bad posture can cause neck, back, hip issues later in life. So here are some tips to keep turn that bad posture into good posture, so we stay healthy and can continue gaming.

1. Always keep the back supported.1 One of the simplest things you can do is get off the floor and into a chair. No back support is a terrible idea for back health. You place too much of a strain on your back to keep you sitting upright. In the same sense, when you are in the chair, don’t lean forward while you play. I know, you’re on a 24 killstreak and are super antsy to keep it going. Don’t. This takes all the support away from your back and can strain it.

2. Keep your T.V. or monitor at eye level and in front of you.2 This is something I have an issue with. I have my T.V. in front of me which is great, but I interact with my chat for my stream on my computer off of my left side. So, everytime I look at the chat, I put a strain on my neck. This is not a healthy practice. It doesn’t seem like much, but turning every 30 seconds to monitor a chat over a 6 hour session adds up. Everything needs to be in front you. I personally am going to remedy this by going to an all monitor setup directly in front of me soon. This situation is going to be different for everyone depending on if you are a streamer or just a casual game player. Maybe experiment with a different set up to help keep that neck and back safe.

3. Don’t cross your legs while sitting.2 Yes I know, keeping both feet in front while playing seems like common sense. I personally catch myself altering this by setting indian style in my chair from time to time. This impedes blood flow to your legs. This could cause major issues like deep vein thrombosis. What you missed the the blog about DVT, here’s a link http://tinyurl.com/j3wzvsw!

Keeping your neck and back healthy will benefit you when you start to get a bit older and help you feeling well. Remember, it’s always a good idea to take a break every once in awhile and stretch and get that blood flowing again. And if you feel like you are having continuing issues with your back, always consult professional help. Until next time gamers, game safe!

References

1Velez, S. (2010, January 8).  Dr. Sara Murphy's Blog: Video Gaming and Back Pain. Retrieved May 30, 2016, from http://drsaramurphymavenpt.blogspot.com/2010/01/video-gaming-and-back-pain.html

2The Dangers of Video Game Posture. (2013). Retrieved May 30, 2016, from http://chiropractordallas-thejoint.com/colleyville/4900-colleyville-blvd-76034/the-dangers-of-video-game-posture-2/