Playing games will also get occupational diseases, and this line needs maintenance.


  E-sports team doctors give players a "continued life" in their careers.

An employee of a health technology company treats the players

  Before the Spring Festival, FPX e-sports player Tian issued a statement on Weibo saying that he had decided to leave the game temporarily due to physical discomfort caused by pressure.

"Playing games will also hurt?" became the biggest doubt in the hearts of netizens.

In fact, it's not just Tian. About half a year ago, Uzi, a "God of War" in the e-sports field, announced his retirement due to injury, which is embarrassing.

  In professional gaming circles where the average retirement age is only 24, injuries are a topic that players cannot avoid.

As a result, team doctors began to appear in e-sports clubs. They helped these e-sports players with rehabilitation, treatment and psychological counseling to help them prolong their careers as much as possible.

  Left and right hands

  Full-time team doctors and health institutions

  At around 12 noon, Kaden arrived at the EDG gaming club.

  At this time, the e-sports players woke up one after another, and Kaden's day's work also began: to interview the players who had just opened their eyes one by one, and to find out whether there was any abnormality in the player's body through the interview; at the same time, a simple physical examination was performed. Understand the changes in the physical function of the contestants compared to the previous day; then, determine the number of appointments and treatment plans for the day.

From one hour after the consultation to before dinner, Kaden will give targeted treatment to the players who have made an appointment...

  As a full-time team doctor of the EDG club, Kaden is mainly responsible for medical diagnosis, rehabilitation, and disease prevention during the offseason and preparation period of the players.

During the competition, the team doctor will provide first aid, pain relief, psychological counseling and other medical protection for the players with the team.

  A more mobile and relaxed working environment makes Kaden a post-90s like a fish in water.

  Kaden once quit his job in the rehabilitation department of a tertiary hospital and became the team doctor of a rugby provincial team.

In January 2020, Kaden saw that the EDG e-sports club was recruiting team doctors. He realized that e-sports does not have a more complete team doctor and health system like traditional sports. This kind of opportunities and challenges may allow him to show his fists, so He stepped into the blue ocean of the health management of the e-sports club.

  It was Shi Zeyuan and his team who stepped into this blue ocean first.

  Beginning in June 2018, Shi Zeyuan and his team have successively begun work on the health management of e-sports. In December of the same year, they established Shanghai Hengye Health Technology Development Co., Ltd., specifically for e-sports clubs and tournament officials in need. Provide health management services.

  Strain injury is several times higher than that of white-collar workers

  Relieving pain is good for performance

  Will you suffer from illness when playing games?

This is the question that Kaden, who was born in a family of doctors, had in his mind before joining the e-sports industry, "I used to think that the e-sports industry is just playing games. Only when I really came to the e-sports industry, I realized that it was not as simple as I thought."

  According to statistics, 75% of e-sports players have various degrees of occupational diseases.

Kaden said that young players don't care much about physical problems, and they find out more through the detection of team doctors.

  According to Lu Jiangtao, manager of the TSG E-sports club, the body of the e-sports players is indeed in a sub-healthy state, but the degree of strain is not much different from that of the "beaters" who type in front of the computer every day.

  As health management professionals, Kaden and Shi Zeyuan both stated that the physical strain of e-sports players is several times that of ordinary people, and the age of e-sports players is mainly between 16-22 years old, while the age of "beating workers" Mostly 25-45 years old.

  "I believe that once an e-sports player stays in this state after reaching the age of 30-40, the strain will be more serious than other professional groups." However, he admitted that it is not a high incidence that players have to go to the hospital due to injuries. A player's strain is an accumulation process, and there is rarely such an overt and severe illness in a short period of time.

  A player of EDG had an attack of tenosynovitis during a game. "Because I just came at that time and didn't know every player very well, I used acupuncture and some other medical methods to help him relieve pain on the spot. "Kaden said, "Maybe because the pain has been reduced, I feel that his psychological pressure is also much less, and then he won that game."

  Cross the river by feeling the stones

  The team doctor is still a "high match"

  Kaden and his colleagues will accompany him throughout the day and provide timely treatment to the e-sports players.

Kaden said that based on current data, it can be estimated that these managements can prolong the professional life of players by about 15 months and ultimately maintain the smooth operation of the entire club.

  Kaden believes that e-sports team doctors are very necessary, but due to practical problems such as funding, the penetration rate of e-sports club doctors is very low.

  At this stage, it is obviously unrealistic for every club to have team doctors, so some clubs will choose to cooperate with health management companies like Hengye.

Shi Zeyuan said that since the illnesses of e-sports players are more chronic, it is more important to have long-term health management to prevent the occurrence of serious problems, improve the player's condition in the training life, and extend the professional life of the players through various maintenance.

  Shi Zeyuan drew an analogy. The goods in the store will accumulate dust after a long time. At this time, they need to wipe the dust to ensure the successful sale of the goods.

  Lu Jiangtao, the manager of the TSG e-sports club, does not deny the benefits of a team doctor, and many e-sports clubs are not without the awareness of health management.

TSG has worked with a sports rehabilitation expert in a sports college, but found that the health management model of traditional sports currently does not fully match the e-sports industry. The e-sports health management system is still in the exploration of "crossing the river by feeling the stones". During the stage...

  Lu Jiangtao said that many clubs have cooperated with health management companies, but the cost performance is not high for the club. The club must first consider the overall operation.

"It's icing on the cake to have team doctors. If there are some, it's better. If there isn't, it's normal. We are more willing to spend our money on the blade."

  It is a consensus in the e-sports circle that most e-sports clubs are at a loss.

Lu Jiangtao believes that the core value of the e-sports club lies in the players. If you want a team to play well, you need to add strong players. The number of recruits for an e-sports player can range from tens of thousands to ten million. In addition, , The daily expenses of the players need to be guaranteed, so that the players can eat well, live well, and maintain a good state; sometimes it is necessary to buy competition seats... "The cost-effective investment of hiring a team doctor is a second choice compared to other investments. The players have to Basically, they are some hidden diseases. Chronic diseases do not require frequent emergency treatment. Therefore, the e-sports club is willing to invest more funds in core operating costs to provide players with a better environment..." said Lu Jiangtao.

  Demystify

  What disease is easy to "wrap up" e-sports players?

  Shi Zeyuan once wrote in the article "Common Health Problems of Professional E-sports Players" that high-intensity repetitive movements of the fingers and hands can cause tenosynovitis, swelling and pain in the wrists, and necks caused by poor posture and sedentary movement. The strain of the shoulders, waist and legs can even cause the lungs to collapse... and the lumbar and cervical spine problems are more serious than the wrist problems, and the lumbar spine problems account for 20% of the health problems.

  "Although players are encouraged to avoid sitting postures that are prone to strain, the postures that players have been accustomed to for a long time cannot be changed in a short period of time." Lu Jiangtao said, "This is a priority, and each player has his own habits. Posture, I can’t force the player to adjust his sitting posture. The uncomfortable posture does not show the player’s strength, but the gain is not worth the loss."

  In addition to the strain on various parts of the body, cardiovascular and other medical problems caused by long-term work and rest and irregular diet also plague e-sports players.

What needs more attention is that e-sports players are troubled by age, family, competition, and public opinion.

Moreover, e-sports players are different from traditional sports athletes. They have no physical way to vent due to prolonged sitting.

  "The e-sports industry is a cruel industry. As long as you can't show that mental state on the court, you may be replaced by others." Lu Jiangtao said.

Competitive pressure due to factors such as the upper limit of talent, technical level, and the inability to break through the bottleneck period is like a heavy burden on each player.

"If a player does not perform well, on forums, Weibo, or even Weibo private messages, many people will say something unpleasant to him. For example, why are you such a dish, why are you so weak, you are a tragedy, just There are all kinds of words like this." These public opinions will undermine the self-confidence of these young players, cause serious distress to them, and even affect the performance of the game.

  Lu Jiangtao said that this kind of psychological pressure is inevitable. "Psychological pressure can actually be regarded as a screening criterion. Some people can't cross this threshold. Although everyone gives you confidence and encouragement, you still can't get out. Was eliminated. Only those who can carry it can go to high places. This is how this industry is." He believes that only the purer people can go farther on the road of e-sports.

  Text/Reporter Zhang Ziyuan, Intern Sangdanbaimu Coordinator/Zhang Bin