You need comfortable gear if you want to play at your best.
While not a contact sport, esports injuries are just as serious to the professionals of the industry — injuries like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. As nasty as they can be, you can avoid them by making sure to take regular breaks and stretches.
However, some people’s circumstances might just make them more likely to develop these injuries. For that, we have four gaming peripherals that can help prevent you from developing carpal tunnel and other complications.
Vertical Mouse
While it looks strange at first, a vertical mouse is probably the peripheral that takes the least amount of time to get used to as it’s literally a regular mouse tilted to one side.
This simple change in position is more ergonomic for your wrists. It’s a more natural position for your hand and relieves pressure on the median nerve, the main culprit for carpal tunnel.
Trackball
Trackballs have been around for much longer than the modern computer mouse and continue to be a reliable tool for preventing carpal tunnel. You only need to make slight movements with your fingers on the ball to control your cursor, which promotes speed and accuracy. Best of all, you save desk space as you no longer need to constantly move your arm or wrist.
The downside is that it might take a while for you to get used to this new way of interfacing with your computer. If the more traditional design isn’t to your liking, there are other trackball models that might be more comfortable for you. There’s even a design that emulates a mouse with the trackball being controlled by your thumb.
Split Keyboard
Ergonomics is a big factor when it comes to preventing carpal tunnel and other related injuries. We don’t realize it but the regular keyboard design tends to make us stiffen our shoulders and pull in our elbows, which can lead to discomfort.
A split keyboard offers a simple solution to this problem by literally splitting the keyboard in half and repositioning them. This encourages you to adopt a more natural position, thus loosening the tension in your elbows and shoulders. Other small variations include slightly curved angles for more comfort on the hands and softer keys so less pressure is needed to press them.
Cushioned Mouse Pad
Sometimes the simplest, and cheapest, solution is to just find something that can help alleviate pressure on your wrist. For that, you don’t need to look much farther than a cushioned mouse pad.
It’s straightforward and effective. Nowadays there are even options for the type of cushion that you can use, like gel or memory foam, to ensure that your wrist is getting proper support.
Banner image from Perixx on IntosElectronic.
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4 Esports Injuries Every Gamer Should Know About