RSI-Relief

During this year’s baseball playoffs, Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya missed three games because of pain and inflammation in his right wrist and forearm. At the time, most people assumed that it was simply another case of a young pitcher fatigued by the long baseball season.

But now it’s been revealed that the injury wasn’t due to the game of baseball, but to a video game.

The Tigers training staff was confused because his injury didn’t seem to be consistent with the stresses caused by an overhand pitching motion. Zumaya and the trainers ultimately realized that the problem stemmed from an addiction to “Guitar Hero”, a PlayStation 2 video game that uses a guitar-shaped controller to simulate the performance of popular songs.

After being told to stop playing the game, Zumaya felt better and went on to pitch pain-free in three appearances during the World Series.

Another player, Carlos Delgado of the New York Mets, had two RSI-related surgeries this off-season, the first on his right wrist for carpal tunnel syndrome, and the second on his left arm for what was termed “tennis elbow”.

So and even young and physically-fit athletes are subject to repetitive strain injuries…

We are not alone.