CLEVELAND — The esports world has continued to grow and as more athletes compete, there are more injuries.

Adam Schuler, who’s competed in esports for years, is no stranger to injuries that come along with playing.

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland Clinic helping esports athletes with their Esports Medicine Program 

  • The program aiming to prevent injuries in Esports athletes and help with current injuries

  • Esports athletes experience injuries such as tendinitis, carpal tunnel and more 

“My wrists, my arms, my back,” Schuler said.

The Cleveland Clinic started a program in 2018 that’s helping to treat esports athletes. Jason Cruickshank, an athletic trainer for Cleveland Clinic, helped begin the Esports Medicine Program.

“Esports athletes are not significantly different from traditional athletes in that they spend hours upon hours playing and participating and practicing in their sport,” Cruickshank said.

Cruickshank said the injuries these athletes experience aren’t muscle tears, sprains or concussions. 

“They suffer more from this repetitive trauma. So more tendinitis, more shortened muscles that are causing pain, impingements on the nerves, you know carpal tunnel,” Cruickshank said.

Drew Schwartz, a chiropractic physician for Cleveland Clinic, is also on the team helping esports athletes. Schwartz said they are trying to promote movement to prevent injuries. 

“We really want to focus on doing more movement promotion and really looking at exercise and really addressing muscle imbalances. We don’t just want to like stretch, stretch, stretch, we really want to get, can we do some strengthening work, can we get some cardio in,” Schwartz said.

Cleveland Clinic has been working with Cavs Legion, a professional esports team, and also teams like the one at Cleveland State University. P.J. Farrell, the director of esports at Cleveland State, said they have been implementing a lot of the practices that the Cleveland Clinic has taught them.

“We’re going to make sure we’re not just playing video games 24/7. You know we’re eating well, we’re taking care of our minds, we’re also doing workouts,” Farrell said. 

Farrell said esports athletes need to be healthy in their mind and in their body, which is what the Cleveland Clinic program is trying to do.