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Prevention of Esports Injuries

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Handbook of Esports Medicine

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Abstract

The tremendous growth of the esports industry in recent years has led to a disproportionate amount of players in comparison to healthcare professionals. Opportunity, in large part generated by sponsorship and investment money from companies targeting the gigantic audience, has spawned countless teams, organizations, competitions, and tournaments. As a result, an increasing number of gamers are earning sustainable livings as esports professionals. Yet the healthcare industry remains relatively ignorant of the needs of this population.

The career span of a professional gamer is relatively short. Injuries can have detrimental long-term health consequences, as well as financial implications. In order to tackle this clandestine esports injury problem, a multitude of hurdles must be overcome. First, large-scale surveillance studies need to be performed to accurately assess the prevalence of injuries. Second, the mechanisms of these injuries need to be determined. Third, preventative training measures addressing these mechanisms must be designed. Lastly, these preventative measures must be studied for efficacy, implementation, and adherence. A seemingly gargantuan task, compounded by the relative ignorance to the field of esports medicine, and catalyzed by a culture not familiar or trusting of medical professionals, leads to the perfect storm for a brewing public health crisis.

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  1. GamerDoc, Washington, DC, USA

    Lindsey Migliore

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    Lindsey Migliore

  2. 1HP, Washington, DC, USA

    Caitlin McGee

  3. Level Up Sports Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Melita N. Moore

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Migliore, L. (2021). Prevention of Esports Injuries. In: Migliore, L., McGee, C., Moore, M.N. (eds) Handbook of Esports Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73610-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73610-1_9

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