The Importance of Hand Health

Your hands let you do lots of things. Obviously your hands are the only reason you can play Smash Bros. However, not much is done to protect our hands. Many of us play multiple hours a day, working the same few muscles to exhaustion when we play using a game cube controller. These controllers weren't meant or designed to be used multiple hours a day for years on end. They will cause severe harm to your hands, it is just a matter of when. Now, as depressing as that may seem, you can help prevent any damage. Let me make it clear, this is preventative, as in it will make sure it won't happen, and once it does happen, you're out of luck. So you may be wondering, why aren't we all doing preventative hand exercises? I think we all should. I do lots of hand stretching every day, and there are many links on sites like Youtube that show you things you should be doing to ensure your hands stay healthy.

This topic is getting a lot of debate recently, especially in the Melee community. One of the best players, PPMD, had to resign because he has injured his hands over years of playing. This is bound to happen to many of the top players after years of abuse without people taking preventative measures. So, if you're here to start, I suggest you go look up videos from the gaming doctor on hand exercise. These are simple and help strengthen your core muscles in your hands you use frequently. Another tip, make sure your hands are warm when you play. Cold hands can cause injuries so make sure you are in a warm room. Second, for those in the sma4sh community, consider switching to the Wii U Pro Controller. The controller is more ergonomic, meaning better designed for your hands. Lastly, take a few minute break every hour. maybe just 5 minutes or so. After playing a lot of games in a row you could cause stress, just let your hands rest at least for 5 minutes, and maybe run your hands under warm water to promote blood flow.

Now, ideally we would all be doing these every day. I do, as do many others, but people forget. I suggest that we make this a ritual in our community. That we take this seriously, and be as healthy as we can to promote the longevity of our game. Thank you for reading and please take care of yourself. Your career might end if you don't, but this injury will follow you the rest of your life. Typing, writing, and other things become extremely difficult after you have a hand injury, so please have your priorities straight.