SCIENCE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Esports Injuries Prompt Rise of Specialized Medical Support
WHY IT MATTERS
The growing medical infrastructure in esports signals a shift toward treating competitive gaming as a professional sport, ensuring player longevity and safeguarding the industry’s economic future.
What happened
Professional esports players endure a range of physical and mental strains that mirror traditional sports and performing arts. A 2021 Portuguese study found 37 % of players reported anxiety or depression and 45 % had sleep problems.
Common injuries include eye fatigue, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and back pain from prolonged sitting. The fatal deep‑vein thrombosis that killed British gamer Chris Staniforth in 2011 highlights the risks of extended play.
In response, top teams now employ physical therapists, performance psychologists, athletic trainers and massage therapists, and they use ergonomic chairs and functional‑strength workouts to reduce injury risk. The League of Legends star Lee “Faker” Sang‑hyeok returned to play a month after a cubital tunnel syndrome diagnosis, winning three world titles thereafter.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Professional gaming is brutal on the body – inside the growing field of treating esports injuries
The Conversation US · Erica D. Henn, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Exercise Science, Temple University · CC BY-ND; link/attribution intake only—no edited republication