Wholesome Habits to Assist Keep away from Harm

Most of us don’t think twice about putting on our headsets and stepping into virtual worlds without physically preparing our bodies for an experience of bending, twisting, crouching, jumping, etc. In reality, this may not be such a smart idea.

As with any sport or strenuous activity, esports cause injuries. Traditionally, these injuries are caused by repetitive movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists. The shoulders, back muscles and spine are also stressed by sitting in front of the keyboard for hours. With activities in VR we have added a larger physical component while allowing ourselves to be fully immersed in a virtual environment. The result is that while gamers have eliminated some of the sedentary aspects of computer games, we are still at risk of overuse injuries and the nature of VR also increases the risk of muscle strains, torn tendons, and even broken bones.

Fingers, hands, wrists, forearms

As an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Levi Harrison of Glendale, Calif., Practices all types of sports injuries, including repetitive stress injuries caused by players. He has a YouTube channel where he talks about common physical problems players experience and what they can do to prevent injuries. While his advice is primarily aimed at console or PC gamers, VR enthusiasts make similar repetitive movements, sometimes with several actions (translation: finger clicks) per second. In this video you will find some simple exercises to counteract the repetitive strain on fingers, hands, wrists and forearms.

Vsports

In addition to traditional player injuries, people who play VR games have stepped up the athletic component of gaming, so injuries that normally only occur in sports like soccer or tennis are now popping up in the VR world.

Echo Arena, a multiplayer game from Ready at Dawn Studios, is one of the most physically demanding games in VR. Players must crouch, jump, dodge, twist, turn, and make sudden movements to catch or throw a disc as they guide it through a zero-G arena to score points in the opposing team’s goal. I recently put together a video highlighting some of the injuries players suffered while trying to outplay their opponents.

While most of these injuries could have been avoided by taking a few simple steps to ensure a safe play area, there are other stories that haven’t been translated so well for photos. There were torn tendons, tight necks, and pulled muscles. These injuries are certainly not unique to Echo Arena. In virtual reality, we can already see typical sports injuries. When some people hear this, they ask questioningly how this could be possible when you are playing a “virtual” game.

The fact is that while Vsports might include virtual games, our bodies are still very much in the physical reality. In addition to taking some sensible steps to ensure a clear play area and stay within the confines of a guard system, we can also take steps to prevent injury by faithfully incorporating the following into our VR fitness routine: Warm up , Hydration, and a cool down period.

Warm up

The warm-up phase should be the first phase of any physical activity. Light cardiovascular exercises slowly increase your circulation and heart rate, while stretching prepares your muscles for the movements you will make with more activity. As you do a warm up and gently increase your activity level, gradually warm up your muscles and prepare your body for the workout. This will help prevent injury.

When planning a workout in VR, some people may just prefer to do some stretching or light cardio before putting on the headset. Consider the following:

For those who prefer a VR-centric warm-up, Tim Donahey mentions some great lower-intensity gaming options in an article titled How to Create a Balanced VR Fitness Routine. You can easily play these games as part of your warm-up. Even while the menus are loading, or if there is any downtime in the game, this is an excellent opportunity to stretch a little, using the images above as a guide.

Whether you warm up before or after putting on the headset, the increased blood flow loosens your joints and makes your muscles more supple. This will reduce the risk of injury to your body when performing the sudden movements that come with physical activity.

Hydration

At the Grand Final of the VR Challenger League Season 1 during the IEM (Intel Extreme Masters) in Katowice, Poland, VR esport players compete in strenuous, physically demanding competitions against the best players and teams in the world. Not only did they display a high level of athleticism, but they also performed high-level physical activity while wearing a headset. It was important that they stay hydrated.

From infographicsfanatics.com

While most people are simply interested in getting a good workout instead of being the next big name in esports, staying hydrated is still important. Whether you exercise for 30 minutes or a few hours, here are some things to keep in mind.

  • Do not wait until you are thirsty. It is likely that by the time you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. This is how your body is telling you that you have waited too long.
  • Hydrate Before You Workout! Start building your fluid balance at least two hours before you start exercising.
  • Hydrate with electrolytes or sports drinks. Electrolytes help our cells to communicate with one another and to perform important functions such as carrying electrical charges. Don’t just rely on water for particularly intense or long training sessions.
  • During your workout, take a break to sip sports drinks, water with added electrolytes, or even coconut water that contains natural electrolytes.
  • Add a snack. If your workout is longer than an hour, consider adding an easy-to-eat fruit like a banana during your exercise break. You don’t even have to take off your headset and benefit from extra electrolytes. Don’t forget to chase it with water.

cooling down

While the warm up should be the first phase of physical activity, a cool down should be your last. During the cool down, you gradually lower your body temperature, lower your heart rate and allow the muscles to return to a relaxed state. The cool down period is important to avoid complications such as venous pooling in the lower extremities.

Summary

While it’s great that we’ve created a whole new area of ​​athletics, we need to approach our training with some common sense and preparation. Casual gamers can also benefit from these tips, but if we want to use VR for athletics and fitness, it is important that we prepare our bodies for a warm-up and stretch, maintain good habits while playing, and do our workouts with a decent one. end cooling phase.

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