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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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7

Gaming Causes Joint Pain in Kids: Study

Child scientist finds 60+ minutes of daily play may cause trouble

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(Newser) – The repetitive motions involved in playing video games cause joint pain in children, according to a new study by a true expert—an 11-year-old gamer. Deniz Ince, with the help of his rheumatologist dad, studied joint pain among his fellow video game enthusiasts, aged 7 to 12. More than an hour of play per day increased the chance of having pain by 50%, they found. Wii users reported more pain than users of the Xbox or Playstation, regardless of the length of play.

Younger kids reported pain after shorter intervals than older kids, leading the researchers to speculate that the repetitive stress may be damaging younger gamers’ developing tendons and joints. Asked what advice he'd give to other kids, Deniz said, "I would tell them they shouldn't play for more than one hour a day." Because the study was based on self-reports and not physical examinations, its impossible to know for sure, HealthDay reports.

In this photo released by Nintendo, Roger Walland and daughters Rachel, 5, left, and Jennifer, 2, from Plano, Texas enjoy the popular Wii system from Nintendo, Saturday Nov. 28, 2008.
In this photo released by Nintendo, Roger Walland and daughters Rachel, 5, left, and Jennifer, 2, from Plano, Texas enjoy the popular Wii system from Nintendo, Saturday Nov. 28, 2008.   (AP Photo/Nintendo, Bob Riha, Jr.)
The new Wii MotionPlus accessory for Nintendo's Wii Remote controller gives players new levels of precision and performance when used with specially designed games.
The new Wii MotionPlus accessory for Nintendo's Wii Remote controller gives players new levels of precision and performance when used with specially designed games.   (Photo: Business Wire)
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7 comments
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2-bits
Oct 19, 09 5:04 PM CDT
As a young lad, I spent many many hours programming, playing video games, and iming. I grew up on this stuff and I'm alright. In fact, I seem to have developed a resistance of sorts. I think the real issue is that children are playing so much that they actually developed joint pain. I can remember maybe one time in my entire life where I had actual physical pain from doing this stuff. How about this: If your wrists hurt, GO OUTSIDE. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
zackmasson
Oct 20, 09 1:51 AM CDT
yea me either, only exception is playing FPS my wrist hurt but I found out I needed to hold my mouse a little different took some time to get use to but never hurt again.
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IN RESPONSE:
jagerhans
Oct 20, 09 9:07 AM CDT
«If your wrists hurt, GO OUTSIDE.» ... QFT . The key is Power Off The Damned Thing and Go Take A Walk. at least until the compiler run is done, lol .
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IN RESPONSE:
zackmasson
Oct 21, 09 3:13 AM CDT
what an ignorant comment jagerhans. I'm very athletic, im referring to late night gaming on the weekends. douche.
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2-bits
Oct 21, 09 8:34 AM CDT
Zack, he wasn't talking to you.
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