What can organisations do to avoid esports injuries?
We talked to Caitlin McGee from 1HP to find out.
Injuries in esports arent something fans are likely to think about until its too late.
Who is Dr. Caitlin McGee?
So… qualifications: check!
Seven years ago, she met another physical therapist named Matthew Hwu, and the two co-founded 1HP.
Does she still keep up with Dota 2, after all these years?
I do, she nods enthusiastically.
Not as much as I used to.
One of the downsides of working more in eSports is that you have less time to play games.
And also to be fair, I’ve been on a Baldurs Gate 3 binge recently.
It took her six tries to finish Honour Mode.
- and Chun-Li in Street Fighter.
This does not mean that I am good at every game I’ve ever worked with.
This brand of medical assistance isn’t as simple as tips on good posture, however.
Caitlin McGee is 1HPs co-owner and director, as well as one of the companys physical therapists.
At a tournament, your focus should be on competing.
When I’m working with players at tournaments, my job is to keep them competition-ready.
The time to make long-term sustainable changes is after the tournament.
Your focus needs to be on your play there.
But Caitlin notes that there has been a noticeable paradigm shift around the concept of injuries in gaming.
Players realise that they don’t just have to deal with this, she says.
We used to think that back pain was more associated with sitting in particular bad postures.
If it’s there, I will drink it.
It’s a thing that we do with all of our teams as well.
There’s so much information out there about the best kind of nutrition and exercise, she says.
Thats where a lack of moderation can turn into a problem.
According to Caitlin, There is significantly more interest and awareness nowadays.
The players and coaches are better informed.
There’s a lot more caretaking about health.
The only caveat to more teams engaging with healthy behaviours nowadays is the money pulled out of esports.
There’s always someone to replace those with.
Ultimately, being aware of a problem can only take players so far.
it’s possible for you to find out more about 1HP viatheir website here.
