The effect of static stretching on key hits and subjective fatigue in eSports.
Miyono Okinaka, Tsunehiko Wada
PMID 34873369WHAT IT FOUND
A 20-second forearm stretch restored finger tapping speed to baseline for the first 10 seconds after fatigue.
This benefit appeared in 7 of 15 participants, who were those with higher initial speed. Subjective fatigue scores did not improve.
Key findings
01The number of key hits in the first 10 seconds after stretching was similar to the first trial, suggesting a temporary recovery of performance ability.
02Individual results showed that 7 participants experienced effective stretching and 8 did not, with the effective group having a greater number of key hits in the first 10 seconds of Trial 1.
03Subjective fatigue scores did not significantly differ between the trial immediately before stretching and the trial immediately after.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only healthy adult men who were not gamers, so it is unknown if these results apply to eSports players or individuals with hand pathology. The sample size was small (n=15), and the benefit was observed in only 7 participants. Fatigue was measured subjectively using a visual analog scale rather than objectively, limiting the ability to correlate physical changes with perceived tiredness. The study did not include a control group receiving a sham stretch or no intervention between the third and fourth trials, making it difficult to rule out practice effects or natural variation. The authors note this is the first study of its kind, and the mechanism for why some participants benefited while others did not is not understood.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not recommend this stretch as a general fatigue-reduction strategy for gamers. The study showed no improvement in subjective fatigue scores, and the performance benefit was limited to the first 10 seconds in only 7 of 15 healthy non-gamer participants.