Injuries and Ailments

Gaming is surprisingly strenuous and doesn’t exist without risk. Below is a list of 17 gaming and esports injuries and ailments.

The icons preview the symptom presentation of each ailment; tap/click to learn more!

Eye strain

Lower back pain

Neck pain

Upper crossed syndrome

Lower crossed syndrome

Tension-type headaches

Mouse elbow

Gamer’s thumb

Mouse shoulder

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Cubital tunnel syndrome

Sciatica (piriformis syndrome)

Thoracic outlet syndrome

Medial epicondylosis

Migraine headache

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Deep vein thrombosis

Eye strain

Lower back pain

Neck pain

Upper crossed syndrome

Lower crossed syndrome

Tension-type headaches

Mouse elbow

Gamer’s thumb

Mouse shoulder

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Cubital tunnel syndrome

Sciatica (piriformis syndrome)

Thoracic outlet syndrome

Medial epicondylosis

Migraine headache

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Deep vein thrombosis

Eye strain

Eye strain is the most common ailment for all gamers from the most casual amateur to the most intense competitor.

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Lower back pain

Lower back pain is among the most common ailments experienced by people all over the world, and gamers are no exception.

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Neck pain

Neck pain is also among the most common ailments experienced by people all over the world; gaming is often an exacerbating factor.

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Upper crossed syndrome

Upper crossed syndrome is a postural imbalance in the region of the neck, upper back, and shoulders that may lead to pain or other symptoms.

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Lower crossed syndrome

Lower crossed syndrome is a postural imbalance in the region of the lower back and hips that may lead to pain or other symptoms.

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Tension-type headache

Tension-type headaches are caused by tension in the upper back, neck, head, or face referring pain to different regions of the head.

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Mouse elbow

Mouse elbow is among the most common ailments. It is a repetitive strain injury of the tendons on the outside of the elbow.

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Gamer’s thumb

Gamer’s thumb is a result of repetitive strain of the thumb. It affects the tendon sheaths of two different thumb muscles.

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Mouse shoulder

Mouse shoulder is actually an ailment of the biceps tendon that presents as pain at the front of the shoulder.

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Sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is a restriction at one or both of the joints at the back of your pelvis and can present as severe lower back pain.

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Cubital tunnel syndrome

Cubital tunnel syndrome is irritation of the ulnar nerve. This is the area commonly referred to as the funny bone.

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Sciatica (piriformis syndrome)

Sciatica is the name for pain patterns caused by direct irritation of the sciatic nerve—most notably in the back of the thigh and leg.

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Thoracic outlet syndrome

Thoracic outlet syndrome is compression of nerves or blood vessels in an area beneath your collar bone that causes symptoms in the arm.

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Medial epicondylosis

Medial epicondylosis is a repetitive strain injury of the tendons that attach to the inside of the elbow and is more likely in console gamers.

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Migraine headache

Migraine headaches are primary headaches affecting the brain and its surrounding tissues that can cause a myriad of symptoms.

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Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is irritation of the median nerve. Despite its attention, it is actually not a common ailment in gaming.

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Deep vein thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis is clot formation in the deep veins—most commonly in the lower leg which can lead to a life-threatening condition.

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