Musculoskeletal Pain Among E-sport Athletes

NCT03910517 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Project E-sport
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 208
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background: Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and injuries are common in endurance sports where athletes are required to perform at high intensity for long periods of time. In the short term, MSK pain may significantly impair the athletes' performance, which can lead to unwanted time-off from practice and competitive tournaments. Previous studies found an association between training load, MSK pain and performance. These results indicate that an athlete may experience MSK pain or get injured from both too low and to high training loads. Electronic sports (E-sports), also known as competitive gaming, is defined by Hamari and Sjöblom as "a form of sports where the primary aspects of the sport is facilitated by electronic systems; the input of players and teams as well as the output of the E-sports system are mediated by human-computer interference". There are only few data on MSK pain in E-sports, however a small study with 65 participants found that 41% suffered from back or neck pain and more than 1 in 3 had pain related to the wrist. E-sports athletes have to perform for an extended period of time, similar to athletes from traditional endurance sport. As such, MSK pain in E-sports may be associated with training load like it is seen in other sports. Therefore, MSK pain in E-sports could be an unrecognised issue. To provide health professionals with and optimal starting point for managing these issues, there is a need for well-conducted studies on the prevalence of MSK pain among E-sports athletes. In addition, it is highly relevant to investigate if training loads related to E-sports and physical activity levels are different among athletes with MSK pain compared to athletes without MSK pain. Aims: The aims of this questionnaire-based cross-sectional study are to; I) investigate the prevalence of MSK pain in E-sports athletes, II) assess if training loads among athletes with MSK pain are different from athletes without MSK pain, III) investigate if physical activity levels among athletes with MSK pain are different from athletes without MSK pain and IIII) descriptively present data on participant characteristics, sleep patterns, physical activity levels and utilization of health professionals and pain medication in the study population.

Conditions

Musculoskeletal Pain

Keywords

Musculoskeletal Pain; Sleep; Training load; E-sport; Physical activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Prevalence of pain in the body during the previous week.

  Participants are asked if they have experienced any pain in their body during the previous week (yes/no).

  Baseline - at time of inclusion

Secondary Outcomes (14)

• Primary pain site: questionnaire

  Baseline - at time of inclusion

• Other pain sites: questionnaire

  Baseline - at time of inclusion

• Pain frequency

  Baseline - at time of inclusion

• Pain intensity: numeric pain rating scale

  Baseline - at time of inclusion

• Pain interference

  Baseline - at time of inclusion

Other Outcomes (5)

• Use of pain medicine

  Baseline - at time of inclusion

• Use of pain medicine - type

  Baseline - at time of inclusion

• Use of pain medicine - frequency

  Baseline - at time of inclusion

Study Arms (1)

E-sport athletes

People aged 15-35 who engage in structured E-sport (e.g. community-based, pro team or educational setting).

Other: No intervention

Interventions

No intervention OTHER

No intervention

E-sport athletes

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

People aged 15-35 who engage in E-sport at an educational institution, a community-based team or a pro-team in Denmark.

You may qualify if:

• Age 15-35
• Engaged in E-sport at an educational institution, a community-based team or a pro-team.
• Participating in E-sport through a computer-based game.

You may not qualify if:

• Not providing written informed consent prior to enrolment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University College of Northern Denmark: lead

Study Sites (1)

E-Sport clubs and/or team based in the community, at an educational institution or in a private organization i Denmark

Aalborg, 9000, Denmark

Location

Related Publications (4)

• Johnston R, Cahalan R, O'Keeffe M, O'Sullivan K, Comyns T. The associations between training load and baseline characteristics on musculoskeletal injury and pain in endurance sport populations: A systematic review. J Sci Med Sport. 2018 Sep;21(9):910-918. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2018.03.001. Epub 2018 Mar 14.

  PMID: 29559317 BACKGROUND

• Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med. 2016 Mar;50(5):273-80. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2015-095788. Epub 2016 Jan 12.

  PMID: 26758673 BACKGROUND

• Juho Hamari, Max Sjöblom, What is eSports and why do people watch it? Internet Res. 2017

  BACKGROUND

• DiFrancisco-Donoghue J, Balentine J, Schmidt G, Zwibel H. Managing the health of the eSport athlete: an integrated health management model. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2019 Jan 10;5(1):e000467. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000467. eCollection 2019.

  PMID: 30792883 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Musculoskeletal Pain; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Muscular Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant lecturer

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 26, 2019
• First Posted: April 10, 2019
• Study Start: March 27, 2019
• Primary Completion: April 26, 2019
• Study Completion: April 26, 2019
• Last Updated: July 9, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

DK (1)