Gaming RSI

[PaulCa]

Hi guys,

Have any of you managed to give yourself an RSI (repetitive strain injury) like I have, by gaming?

Project Cars 1. After a few weeks playing I found the back of my neck would burn. On longer, multi-hour races it started to get really bad. I struggled on. However after a few months of this burning neck during longer races I got up to go to work one morning and I couldn't turn my neck without horrible muscle pain.

The sore neck cleared in a few days, but it left behind a grinding, clicking, grating like I had sand or gravel in my joints.

I gave up playing Projects cars, but 2 years on and I STILL have the grinding clicking neck. It even locks in place if I sit still for a while and has to be clicked hard to get it moving again. Went the local NHS physio but they told me to stetch it through all orrientations for 30 seconds once a day. While doing this clears the neck of it's current cracking, grinding, it just returns with an hour or less.

I bought Project Cars 2 and my neck is starting to do it's burning thing again. I need to assess my driving position in the game and see how I can make it better.

I don't suffer any neck problems driving in a real car, even for elongated periods. Although I suspect that is partly due to my head moving around a lot more in the real car and locked in place staring at an unmoving screen ahead in game.

 

[Worthy]

Not yet

You do need to check your posture whilst playing. If you're a fan of driving games and want to keep your neck moving, buy a VR headset!

 

[Ernie]

trying not to be alarmist , you need to be really careful. It's possibly not muscle related, but wear and tear between your vertibrae. You may be compressing your neck through tension for long periods of time without realising.

 

[erill1971]

i have a problem with my neck, cannot turn my head without pain, also my wrist gets so bad i cannot hold a pen - not really good for a gamer, is it?

really have to limit my gaming these days.

 

[Mark A]

I don't think its RSI, but If I haven't gamed for a while my wrists begin to ache after an hour or so of using the kb/mouse. Then after a few days they sort of get used to it again and I don't get the aching.

I also have had back ache for a while now, which I think is due to using an old £80 office chair for years. I recently bought a second hand Aeron Miller Mirra from ebay and after a couple of weeks my back is feeling much better. I wish I had not been such a tightass years ago and bought a decent chair.

 

[Flubble]

i got the same neck lol, mine does it all from my shoulders up to my jaw

i do the same neck stretches but they do nothing and like you say it comes back shortly after

if i dont let my neck click it feels like there's a lot of pressure building up and its going to explode

 

[Jonnybmac]

I have the same neck too, and have for atleast 10 years... Years of poor posture over a pc I'm sure. Has to be cracked sideways atleast every hour to stretch it out. Tried chiropractors and massages and none chanhe this.

 

[IronWarrior]

For the last few weeks, I think am been suffering from it. I helped it a little by making my chair a little higher and rolling up a small towel to use as a cushion to rest my arm and wrist.

I try to switch using my left hand on the mouse sometimes.

I'm going to buy two RSI style mouses soon, one to use on the right and a other for the left side and swap between them for normal desktop usage while reserving my main mouse for gaming, I think that help.

 

[erill1971]

just search the rainforest for
FREETOO Adjustable Wrist Support - really does help a lot.

 

[PaulCa]

My neck is a long term thing, but just being aware of the damage you can do. I was racing LMP2 cars in Project Cars 2 with the G920 racing wheel. The brake pedal has a rubber bung to make pressing the last 40% really hard. The LMP2 cars have high aero downforce so the braking technique is to slam the pedal down hard and then ease it off as the speed comes down.

After an hour of this the muscles around my sides and lower back where in agony. All the bracing in the seat to hit the brake hard enough was causing some serious stress.

I have since adjusted the brake sensitivity so I don't need to go anywhere near that far on the pedal.

Longer term solution is to take the bung out and drill lost of holes in it to make it softer. Or cut it in half.