I know a lot of people will laugh when they hear that you can hurt yourself while playing games but it is 100% real. Most gamers, whether they are serious or just casual, have experienced pain either in the hand, wrist, or both at some point.
So, I feel like helping you out by recommending the best wrist brace for gaming.
At the moment, there are not a lot of options for gaming wrist braces but BraceAbility has done an incredible job of developing a wrist brace that is perfect for gamers. If you cannot get one of those, you can get almost any other wrist brace as long as it doesn’t affect your gaming.
In this article, we are going to talk about PC gaming and console gaming. Basically, what we mean is gaming with the controller and gaming with a mouse and keyboard.
We are going to discuss why your wrist gets painful and what you can do about it or prevent it. So, for everything that you need to know, keep reading.
Best Gaming Wrist Brace
We are going to start this off by immediately talking about the best wrist brace for gaming. Unfortunately, we can’t really do a top 10 or something like that because, to be honest, there aren’t many gaming wrist braces out there. However, you can use most wrist braces if you can’t get the one we are talking about
With all of that out of the way, here is our favorite gaming wrist brace.
BraceAbility Gaming Wrist Brace
This wrist brace is developed specifically for gamers. It aims to prevent some of the most common gaming hand injuries that we can get while gaming. These injuries include:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Repetitive wrist strain injury (RSI)
- De Quervain’s tenosynovitis
- Gamer wrist
It prevents wrist pain by keeping your wrist straight. It also protects you from Gamers Thumb by restricting your thumb movement just enough.
The ergonomic design and aluminum splints make this brace perfect for gaming. It is designed with your movements in mind which is what separates this brace from the rest.
BraceAbility
- Available in a right or left version, this universal brace fits wrist circumferences from 6 to 10 inches
- Perfect for a wide range of people including men, women, and some older kids
- Excellent immobilizing wrist solution for gamer wrist, carpal tunnel, RSI or repetitive stress injury, tendonitis, De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, sprains, strains, arthritis, post-cast removal, and after surgery
- This cock-up laced splint wraps around your thumb, hand, and forearm, keeping your wrist in a neutral position to lessen stress on your carpal tunnel and tendons
Why Does Your Wrist Hurt After Gaming?
There is a medical condition called RSI. This stands for “repetitive strain injury”. It can occur when you game for a few hours at a time. The more you game, the more likely you are to get RSI.
Also, when we game we don’t realize how we place our hands on a mouse and keyboard or how we hold a controller. A lot of the time, you have your wrists in an unnatural position. Keeping your wrist in an unnatural position for prolonged periods of time can cause wrist pain and even cause damage to your tendons.
Imagine for a second that you sleep on a pillow that is way too high or with no pillow at all. Your neck will be really sore in the morning, right? Well, the same applies to your wrist and that is why you want to keep them as straight as possible.
Are Wrist Braces Worth It For PC Gaming?
It is worth it to have a wrist brace for PC gaming. However, using it constantly can be uncomfortable and might feel unnecessary. Also, you don’t want to weaken the tendons in your wrist which you can do if you constantly have a wrist brace on.
So, the answer to this is yes, you should have a wrist brace available when you need one but I would not suggest using it all the time unless you seriously suffer from painful wrists.
Are Wrist Braces Worth It For Console Gaming?
You know, it all depends on a few factors and the main factor is how do you hold a controller when you are playing games. If you are holding the controller in an unnatural position you will be putting strain on your wrists.
I would say that having a gaming brace available when you need it is worth it however I don’t see gaming with one constantly as a viable option.
If I am being honest, the best way to prevent your wrist from hurting is to change the way you play. Stop holding the controller down and stop holding your controller up towards you. Instead, keep your wrist in a neutral position and have a wrist brace on hand if your wrist starts hurting.
What To Do If Your Wrist Hurts After Gaming?
If your wrist hurts while gaming, you want to stop playing for a few hours and come back. If the pain continues when you get back to your setup you want to take a much longer break.
If you come back the next day and your wrist hurts and this carries on, you want to go see a doctor. Also, you want to make sure that you get a gaming wrist brace and maybe take a few days off from gaming. I know it’s hard but you have to take care of your joints.
If you don’t stop playing, you can cause long-term damage to your tendons. This means that you will be out of gaming for a few weeks or even months as you might require surgery. Also, if you damage your tendons, it can cause a snowball effect where other parts of your hand and forearm start hurting.
How To Prevent Wrist Pain While Gaming
I feel like we need to give you an overall prevention plan when it comes to your wrist pain while gaming. However, after that, we will break this down into mouse and keyboard and console gaming because I feel like there are different points that we need to cover for each type of setup.
Whether you game on PC or on a console, you want to make sure that you stretch your wrists and warm them up. I know it sounds silly and it might feel silly doing it. Remember though, nobody is going to see you and if you need privacy, just go somewhere where you are alone and stretch your wrists.
How To Prevent Wrist Pain On Console
On consoles, a lot of people hold their controllers and unnatural positions. You don’t even think about it because you are so used to it but I want you to sit down where you normally game. If it is a desk or chair, sit how you normally sit when you game.
Then I want you to look at how you hold your controller. If your wrists are tilting slightly up, you are putting a strain on your wrist. If they are pointing slightly down so that the controller is parallel to the floor or desk, you are still putting a strain on your wrist.
you want to hold the controller in a neutral position. I find that when I am playing rocket league, it is better if I place my wrist at the edge of the desk instead of using my forearms to balance. This provides support directly to my wrists.
How To Prevent Wrist Pain On PC
On PC, you simply need to hold your hands in a neutral position. Keep your wrists as straight as possible. Wrist pain is very common in PC gamers especially when you game for extended periods of time.
It is also important to remember that you are constantly using your fingers which already puts a strain on your wrists. So, when you have your wrist angled in a funny position this just worsens the situation. Practice keeping your hands as straight as possible.
Conclusion
That brings us to the end of this article. Remember, if you are starting to notice that your wrists hurt more often then it is best if you go and see a doctor. However, if you don’t want to do that make sure you get a wrist brace and wear it while gaming for a week or two and see if the problem goes away.
If you’re looking for more gaming gear reviews, check out our post on Eye Drops for Gamers and Gaming Glasses.