Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35553264›Full record

ArticleSports medicine - open2022

Health Risks and Musculoskeletal Problems of Elite Mobile Esports Players: a Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.

Wing-Kai Lam, Rui-Tan Liu, Bob Chen, Xin-Zhou Huang, Jie Yi, Duo Wai-Chi Wong

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Sports medicine - open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Health Consequences of Intensive E-Gaming: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Pooled it
  5. Review
  6. Injuries and Overuse Injuries in Esports.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Observational
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Promoting mental health in esports.Frontiers in psychology · 2024
    Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Wing-Kai LamSports Information and External Affairs Centre, Hong Kong Sports Institute, Hong Kong, China. gilbert.lam@connect.polyu.hk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8692-2206
Rui-Tan LiuDr. Chen Sport Training and Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, 101111, China.
Bob ChenDr. Chen Sport Training and Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, 101111, China.
Xin-Zhou HuangDr. Chen Sport Training and Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, 101111, China.
Jie YiDr. Chen Sport Training and Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, 101111, China.
Duo Wai-Chi WongDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, 999077, China. duo.wong@polyu.edu.hk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMobile-gaming athletes sit in the same posture for prolonged periods, contributing to significant health risks. This study investigated the health profiles, fatigue, pain and complaints, and musculoskeletal problems of full-time mobile-gaming athletes.

methodsA total of 50 elite mobile-gaming athletes were involved in this study. They were the starting lineup players from all ten professional teams competing in a top-tier multiplayer online battle arena tournament. A survey was conducted to evaluate their fatigue patterns, pain levels, and complaints. A descriptive analysis was conducted to evaluate the athletes' health profiles [body mass index (BMI), fat ratio], fatigue, number of complaints, and musculoskeletal problems. The associations of career duration with BMI, fat ratio, and the total number of confirmed injuries were then determined using Spearman's rank correlation test.

resultsA total of 46% and 44% of the participants felt tired frequently and occasionally, while 34% and 58% experienced eyestrain frequently and occasionally, respectively. More than 30% of the participants reported headache and rhinitis. A longer esports career duration was associated with a reduction in BMI (r = -0.272, p = 0.056). Career duration had no significant association with smoking habits (p = 0.666), alcohol habits (p = 0.655), coffee habits (p = 0.946), rounds of games for which the player could maintain concentration (p = 0.253), ease of eyestrain (p = 0.569), tiredness (p = 0.510), dizziness (p = 0.071), or leg numbness (p = 0.318).

conclusionThe findings of this study stress the significance of esports injuries and indicate preventive measures for both athletes and recreational players.

Indexed as

Electronic sportsErgonomicProlonged sittingSmartphone gameSports injury

Identifiers

PMID35553264
PMCPMC9106768

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.