A hail of bullets whistles past, peppering the wall to my back as I duck behind the only scrap of available cover. Enemies approach confidently, unaware of the secret weapon tucked at my side. Steps from my temporary sanctuary, piles of debris crunch beneath heavy boots, and just under the deafening rumbles of war, quick, raspy breaths suffocated by exhaustion and plumes of black smoke fight for air. I estimate the distance. It’s time.
With an adrenaline-fueled swiftness, I rise from cover, my salvation in hand.
Then, it hits me.
No, not a stray bullet. Far worse. Something in my wrist swells, and a distracting tingling radiates from the meat of my palm through my thumb, crippling my ability to comfortably and securely grip a controller or navigate a keyboard. Even before my on-screen avatar succumbs to the swarm marching toward him, I’ve laid the controller down or pushed the keyboard aside. It will be a minute before I can jump back into the game.
Though you may scoff at the idea of tingling fingers and a weak wrist, carpal tunnel syndrome is no joke. It’s something that will sneak up on many people my age and younger. Before I get into my cautionary tale of woe, allow me a quick aside to explain what it is. Even in this age of tech, which tends to be one of the biggest causes, carpal tunnel isn’t often talked about despite the remarkable uptick in instances throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s.
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
According to Johns Hopkins, carpal tunnel is a compression of the median nerve where it crosses through an aptly named tunnel formed by the carpal bones and carpal ligament. As the nerve is compressed, it’s unable to send the necessary motor and sensory signals to the thumb and the index, middle, and ring fingers.
Anyone with a wrist can develop symptoms, but sorry, ladies. You’re more than four times likely to experience carpal tunnel issues. When you’re pregnant, there’s close to a 50/50 chance of feeling that pins-and-needles sensation (or paresthesia).
What are the primary symptoms to watch for?
It’s important to note that the key trait of carpal tunnel is numbness, not pain. Pain would indicate something more troubling, like diabetic neuropathy. You may feel swelling in the wrist or your fingers, and paresthesia can be persistent. It just won’t hurt. So, if we’re talking about a little numbness, you may be thinking, “What’s the big deal?”
It’s difficult to describe just how uncomfortable the sensation is. You’ve likely felt it in your feet at some point, maybe from sitting the wrong way for too long. It’s not fun, and it’s difficult to walk on, partially because your brain wants to keep you from putting pressure on it. Now, imagine that in a smaller appendage, one that you’re actively using while trying to drive your car or text your girlfriend. As much as you try to ignore it, longer flare-ups are difficult to push to the back of your mind. Unlike your sleeping foot, if it’s bad enough, it can last minutes, or, in severe cases, become chronic.
Circling back to the beginning of this article, you’re about to earn that Victory Royale when the fingers you use most to navigate the map, aim, and take down other squads can’t do their job. While you try to recover, there’s already a sniper with crosshairs on your forehead.
Living with Carpal Tunnel as a Gamer
Being a writer, I always knew carpal tunnel was on the horizon. What I foolishly ignored is how much it could impact one of my favorite pastimes. After all, how bad could it possibly be? A little tension in the wrist, maybe a pressure that would subside if I took a few seconds to stretch. However, it’s more of an impediment than I imagined, and has, during many nights, affected my ability to play anything that I can’t pause.
When symptoms were at their worst, I gave up multiplayer games entirely. I didn’t want to be the guy who stepped away every few minutes because he couldn’t hold the controller or dance my fingers across the keyboard. During some sessions, I found the real value in my PS5’s Rest Mode, as I’d just have to stop playing altogether because the numbness was so severe and frequent.
I did get corrective surgery in 2021, and for quite a while, things felt fine. There was a spell when I thought my other hand had started to develop symptoms, but those subsided after a decent amount of weight loss. Unfortunately, though, I still spend the better part of my life clacking away on a keyboard, mistreating my wrists and fingers as if they don’t pay the rent. To my benefit, I have a doting wife who has provided me with every home hand treatment imaginable, but, even as I type this, I can feel the telltale sign of something swelling in what was the mended wrist. Somewhere on the horizon, I suspect the tingling will start again, and I’ll be back at square one, where I can’t easily jump into a game of Battlefield, knowing I’ll sporadically be an easy target.
I’m not here to complain, but to suggest exercising prudence and to bring awareness to something I can almost guarantee no one will seriously discuss with you. For something that affects one in six adults, I’d say it warrants mentioning.
Can You Prevent Carpal Tunnel from Developing?
One good thing about carpal tunnel syndrome is that you can take steps to reduce the risk of exhibiting symptoms. Nothing is a guarantee, of course, but it’s best to mitigate with a few precautions.
Watch Your Weight
As I mentioned, shortly after my corrective surgery, I started to feel tingling in my other hand. When I asked my orthopedic surgeon about steps I can take to correct it before it requires surgical remediation, he had one answer. At that time, I was on the cusp of being super obese, so I wasn’t shocked when he suggested I start by losing weight.
I know it can be a frustrating answer for anyone who’s overweight, but I can attest that it helped. Even after just 10 lbs down, the tingling stopped. A study published in the Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online found that even the effectiveness of surgical treatment correlated with lower BMIs. For patients at a healthy weight, there was a drastically reduced rate of postoperative stiffness just over a month after surgery compared to obese patients.
Take Breaks
I used to love long gaming sessions. I completed Metal Gear Solid 3 in one sitting, and while it was one of my most memorable gaming experiences, I was 19, and my hands were still young. If I tried that today, I would pay dearly for it.
So, take breaks. Give your hands a rest, stand up, and get the blood flowing. There’s no scientific measure for how long a gaming session should be, but if carpal tunnel is a concern, don’t go hours without pausing to stretch those fingers out.
During a break, use a finger stretch tool, hand warmer, or massager to pamper yourself and loosen things up. I use all three methods today, and each offers a different benefit. I especially appreciate the massager, as it improves blood flow and can be quite soothing on a strained hand.
Reduce the Strength of Your Grip
Gaming can be intense. Even more so if you’re a competitive gamer. If you find yourself locking in, gripping your mouse or controller so tight that you can hear the plastic creaking, it may be time to lighten up a little.
A strong grip puts unnecessary strain on your hands, and that tension can shoot up to your wrists. Go easier on everything, even with keystrokes. You don’t need to be pounding away at your keys, especially if you have a mechanical board. A softer touch goes a long way.
Think Ergonomically
If you’re a mouse and keyboard gamer, ergonomics are crucial to preventing carpal tunnel. A hunched back, an outstretched arm, and a bent wrist are unnatural positions for the human body. To prevent strain and pinched nerves, everything needs to be straight and in alignment. A wrist rest and a rollerball mouse are great solutions… for an office environment. If you can get them to work for your gaming setup, wonderful. If not, try to be mindful of your alignment as you play. Don’t let your arm fly wildly all over the desk, and avoid the “locked-in” pose that leaves your back and shoulders curved in such a way that will, eventually, lead to a pinched nerve.
It may come as a surprise, but yes, how you align the rest of your body can impact your chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.
Wrist Wraps vs Braces
There are a lot of opinions on this out there, but I’ll speak solely on my experience. Wrist wraps don’t do anything if you’re already feeling the symptoms of carpal tunnel. They’re a good preventative measure to stabilize your wrist, but I needed a brace to limit the numbness. Unfortunately, it’s really difficult to game (or type at a reasonable speed) with a brace, so I didn’t use it often.
A brace isn’t a permanent solution. It’s simply a temporary way to alleviate symptoms throughout the day. If you want to try to prevent carpal tunnel and you game often, I’d get into the habit of wearing a wrap.
Gaming with Carpal Tunnel
The plus side to all of this is that carpal tunnel syndrome isn’t a death sentence for your gaming sessions. You just need to learn what works for you to reduce the frequency of symptoms and minimize the risk of developing a severe case. Mild and moderate symptoms can be easily alleviated, and, if you’re especially diligent, you may even reverse the compression of the median nerve.
If you feel nothing you’re doing is helping, then you’ll want to speak with a doctor. As with anything, some can be a little surgery-happy, and while risks like nerve damage and a weakened grip are fairly uncommon, it’s worth getting a second opinion on a surgical correction. Surgery also isn’t a permanent solution, so try to implement preventative measures as soon as possible, even if you aren’t exhibiting symptoms.
After all, you don’t want to be facing down Shao Khan when those pins and needles start.