Electronic Sports Athlete’s Complaints and Consideration of Acupuncture

Interview Survey of Pro-gamers

Abstract

To improve athletic performance, professional sports athletes often include acupuncture as part of their conditioning and overall health. E-sports athletes may also benefit from acupuncture, but no studies have been completed. To begin to address this gap, we interviewed two e-sports athletes, whom we provided acupuncture, to document their complaints and determine if acupuncture was beneficial. They reported experiencing mental and physical stress from competition, practice, and adverse living conditions that negatively affected their gaming performance. They also had musculoskeletal pains. The participants reported that their gaming performance improved and that they experienced less pain with acupuncture. Results suggest that rigorous research is needed to assess if acupuncture effectively reduces e-sports athletes’ musculoskeletal pain and improves gaming performance.