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Competitive Esports players have been plagued by a slew of hand and wrist injuries. Make sure to stay safe by following these tips

Player injuries isn’t typically a relevant point when talking about competitive Esport gamers. After all, you’re sitting in a chair all day… How bad can you get hurt?

Turns out, silent injuries can and do cost careers. Systemic injuries in problem areas such as the wrist and eyes will sneak up and sideline you for an extended period of time. That is, if proactive action to prevent it wasn’t taken in advance

We see two shining examples of this exact scenario playing out in Europe. Theo "Pr0vokd" Guillemenot competed under the Fnatic banner during some incredibly exciting times. After solidly placing in both the World Cup and multiple FNCS circuits, wrist pain sent him out of commission

After being cut from Fnatic and unable to play Fortnite at a competitive level for 7 months, he is finally coming back around to the competitive scene. This comes after months of physical therapy to correct the piling damages that built up in the years prior

“I got injured making me unable to play, just like any other sport, people get injured, get it in your head,” Pr0vokd wrote in a statement. “I have been playing the last 1-2 months a lot and I'm starting to get back on top again. I plan to be one of the best Fortnite players and I will do anything in my power to prove that,” he concluded cheerfully with

Pr0vokd is looking to move past the setback; that cannot be said about all gamers who confront this adversity. Take Issa “Issa” Rahim, Europe’s Solo World Cup qualifier and all ‘round controller goat, who quit today, citing the same issues Pr0vokd faced

Similar to Pr0vokd, Issa has faced wrist problems since the end of 2019. As a controller player, the adverse impact has been more detrimental than to a keyboard and mouse player due to the strain needed to hold a controller

Unfortunately, not all cases of wrist injury are the same. If yours is more severe, a seemingly infinite amount of physical therapy could still fall short of being enough. In Issa’s case, improper wrist care cost his career

Notable community members including Mongraal sought to console the once goat. The problem with wrist injuries is that nobody cares to take preventative action until it stares them right in the face. And we need to change that

Below is my preferred video containing exercises to prevent wrist pain from building up

If you’re planning on an extended gaming session, use the above tips before, during, and after you play. While it’s recommended you loosen up both of your wrists every 30-45 minutes, make sure you are at least doing it at the top of every hour

I cannot stress this enough, do your wrist exercises. Wrist pain is like a cavity -- it builds up without any pain until, one day, you’re in a whole lot of pain. At that point, the solution is more unpleasant than taking the preventative steps

Take care of yourselves and stay safe out there. Follow us on Twitter for more content like this

Author Bio

Michael Hindi

Michael “Hindog” Hindi is an active Fortnite player and journalist from San Diego, California. His involvement with competitive Fortnite dates back to Season 5 - both on the battle bus and with a pen & paper.

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