There are many benefits to video gaming. It’s scientifically proven that it improves reflexes, thinking skills, and other useful skills. But for the most part, it doesn’t actually drive physical fitness. Except for outliers like Wii Fit and Just Dance, most gamers sit on couches or chairs in relatively motionless positions.
For gamers, lower back pain is a major concern. It’s easy to forget good posture when absorbed in a digital world. Leg tingling or weakness might be one of the symptoms you’re experiencing.
If you aren’t feeling any aches in your lower back, you can still strengthen your core with these exercises. As a result, bad times will be prevented in the future as well.
Why Do Back Pains Occur?
Despite its remarkable abilities, the human body cannot do all physical feats. Although it craves variety, it also craves consistency. Your muscles and joints can become damaged if you sit in the same position for too long. Gamers aren’t usually concerned about their posture when they’re playing video games.
Various factors can lead to back pain. In most cases, this is caused by prolonged sitting in bad posture or by vigorous activity in one of those muscles. You can also fix that yourself, which is a relief.
Damage to the disks in your spine can be more dangerous if you bend your back in a way that causes your back to round, rather than straighten. A disk can press against the spinal cord nerves, causing paralysis and constant pain. I definitely wouldn’t recommend doing this to your body.
Button to pause
It’s simple: walk away from your game for a few minutes if you are experiencing lower back pain. Almost all modern games have pause buttons, and most of them include warnings for keeping sessions to a reasonable length when you first boot them up. A short walk, resting your eyes, and stretching your muscles is very valuable every hour you play.
Your body will benefit from these breaks, even if they aren’t massive. Performing better for longer does reduce overall gaming time, but it also enables you to play more efficiently.
Check Your Setup
When you’re engrossed in a game, it can be pretty difficult to remember to adjust your posture. However, you can prevent physical damage by doing some preparation before turning on your battle station.
You can reduce back pain by adjusting your field of vision, which is a major contributor to neck alignment. You want your monitor’s top edge to be level with your natural resting eye level for pretty much all media consumption. People tend to curl up and hunch over when playing on laptops or portable devices. As a result, the neck and spine are put under pressure. You force your spine to be straight by keeping your head perpendicular to the floor. The most common cause of back pain is a gaming chair. So choosing the right gaming chair is important if you want to be comfortable while gaming.
When the injury occurred
There is a possibility that you are already suffering from lower back pain caused by gaming. Before we move on, let me clarify: we aren’t doctors. There’s no such thing as a Time Lord among us. As a result, we are unable to provide medical advice. Any exercise program should be discussed with a physician before beginning.
You should stretch on a daily basis to keep your back in the best shape possible. Flexibility is increased, strains are relieved, and your core muscles are strengthened, so your spine is better supported. Using any relatively soft surface and no additional equipment, here’s a quick regimen of floor stretches.
Rotate your torso and head to the other side of the room, twisting gently through your spine while lying on your back. Make sure the bottom leg is straight and the top leg is bent at the hips and knees. Hold each side of the bent knee for 25 seconds while holding the hand of the arm on the torso side. Sciatica sufferers will benefit from this one.
Working out at the gym
By exercising regularly, you will be able to build your body to a point where marathon gaming sessions won’t damage your health quite as much. By improving flexibility and long muscle strength with exercises such as Pilates or yoga, you’ll naturally maintain a better posture.
Gamification of back health itself is even being considered by some companies. This wearable device consists of a pair of sensors attached to your chest and lower back to provide feedback during an obstacle course game on your iPhone.
You should recognize that lower back pain shouldn’t be something anyone has to live with, no matter what you decide to do. It’s up to you to get rid of it, so get stretching and we’ll see you back here soon.