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Musculoskeletal PainNCT03910517

Musculoskeletal Pain Among E-sport Athletes

An observational study of Musculoskeletal Pain, run by University College of Northern Denmark at 1 site in Denmark.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Background: Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and injuries are common in endurance sports where athletes are required to perform at high intensity for long periods of time. In the short term, MSK pain may significantly impair the athletes' performance, which can lead to unwanted time-off from practice and competitive… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 15 to 35 years
Conditions the study is for
Musculoskeletal Pain
How many people
208 participants
Where
1 siteDenmark
Study dates
27 Mar 2019to 26 Apr 2019
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 15 to 35 years
  • All sexes
  • Child, Adult

Study population: People aged 15-35 who engage in E-sport at an educational institution, a community-based team or a pro-team in Denmark.

Who may be able to join

  • Age 15-35
  • Engaged in E-sport at an educational institution, a community-based team or a pro-team.
  • Participating in E-sport through a computer-based game.

Who cannot join

  • Not providing written informed consent prior to enrolment.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Denmark1 site

  • E-Sport clubs and/or team based in the community, at an educational institution or in a private organization i Denmark

    Aalborg, 9000

Other trials in Denmark

About this study

Background:

Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and injuries are common in endurance sports where athletes are required to perform at high intensity for long periods of time. In the short term, MSK pain may significantly impair the athletes' performance, which can lead to unwanted time-off from practice and competitive tournaments. Previous studies found an association between training load, MSK pain and performance. These results indicate that an athlete may experience MSK pain or get injured from both too low and to high training loads.

Read more

Electronic sports (E-sports), also known as competitive gaming, is defined by Hamari and Sjöblom as "a form of sports where the primary aspects of the sport is facilitated by electronic systems; the input of players and teams as well as the output of the E-sports system are mediated by human-computer interference".

There are only few data on MSK pain in E-sports, however a small study with 65 participants found that 41% suffered from back or neck pain and more than 1 in 3 had pain related to the wrist. E-sports athletes have to perform for an extended period of time, similar to athletes from traditional endurance sport. As such, MSK pain in E-sports may be associated with training load like it is seen in other sports. Therefore, MSK pain in E-sports could be an unrecognised issue. To provide health professionals with and optimal starting point for managing these issues, there is a need for well-conducted studies on the prevalence of MSK pain among E-sports athletes. In addition, it is highly relevant to investigate if training loads related to E-sports and physical activity levels are different among athletes with MSK pain compared to athletes without MSK pain.

Aims:

The aims of this questionnaire-based cross-sectional study are to; I) investigate the prevalence of MSK pain in E-sports athletes, II) assess if training loads among athletes with MSK pain are different from athletes without MSK pain, III) investigate if physical activity levels among athletes with MSK pain are different from athletes without MSK pain and IIII) descriptively present data on participant characteristics, sleep patterns, physical activity levels and utilization of health professionals and pain medication in the study population.

Read the detailed description

Data analysis:

The prevalence of MSK pain within the study population will be presented in absolute numbers and as percentage values. To investigate if E-sport related training loads differ among athletes with and without MSK pain we will use total E-sport related training load (N hours spend on structured E-sport + N hours spend on unstructured E-sport). An independent sample t-test will be applied for this comparison if data are normally distributed. To assess if physical activity levels are different among athletes with and without MSK pain we will use the responses from the IPAQ short form. For this comparison we will use an independent sample t-test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Participant characteristics, distribution and number of MSK pain sites, utilization of health professionals and pain medicine, physical activity levels, training loads and sleep patterns will be presented descriptively. The data will be presented with means, standard deviations and 95% confidence intervals. Non-parametric data will be presented with absolute numbers and as percentage values, medians and range.

Being tested
No intervention
Keywords
Musculoskeletal Pain, Sleep, Training load, E-sport, Physical activity
Medical subject headings
Musculoskeletal Pain, Motor Activity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • No interventionOther

    No intervention

Study groups in NCT03910517
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
E-sport athletesPeople aged 15-35 who engage in structured E-sport (e.g. community-based, pro team or educational setting).
Receives: Other: No intervention

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Prevalence of pain in the body during the previous week.

    Participants are asked if they have experienced any pain in their body during the previous week (yes/no).

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

Secondary outcomes (14)

  1. Primary pain site: questionnaire

    Participants are asked where in the body they experience their primary pain complaint (list: head, chest, stomach, back, neck, shoulder, upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand/fingers, hip/groin, thigh, knee, shinbone, ankle, and foot/toes).

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  2. Other pain sites: questionnaire

    Participants are asked if they experience pain at additional sites (List: head, chest, stomach, back, neck. Also shoulder, upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand/fingers, hip/groin, thigh, knee, shinbone, ankle, and foot/toes with the response categories being right, left or both).

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  3. Pain frequency

    Responses are presented on a 5-point Likert scale: daily, weekly, several times per week, monthly, rarely

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  4. Pain intensity: numeric pain rating scale

    Participants are asked about worst pain during the previous week in relation to their primary pain site. Pain intensity is assessed with a 0 to 10 point numeric pain rating scale (0=no pain; 10= worst possible pain)

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  5. Pain interference

    Participants are asked if their pain interference with their participation in E-sport (yes/no).

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  6. Eye fatigue

    Participants are asked if they experience eye fatigue related to E-sport (yes/no).

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  7. Training load (structured E-sport)

    Participants are asked about the number of hours they spend on structured E-sport where there is a coach present.

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  8. Training load (unstructured E-sport)

    Participants are asked about the number of hours they spend on unstructured E-sport without a coach present.

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  9. Physical activity levels

    International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form (7 item questionnaire).

    This questionnaire assess the number of days per week spent on vigorous and moderate physical activity, walking and sitting. The questionnaire also assess the amount of time per day (hours/minutes) spent on these activities.

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  10. Hours of sleep

    Participants are asked about how many hours they sleep on average during a night.

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  11. Trouble falling a sleep

    Participants are asked if they have trouble falling a sleep at night (Not at all, some nights, most nights, don't know)

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  12. Waking up several times at night

    Participants are asked if they wake up several times at night (Not at all, some nights, most nights, don't know)

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  13. Trouble sleeping through the night

    Participants are asked if they have trouble sleeping all through the night (Not at all, some nights, most nights, don't know)

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

  14. Tiered in the morning.

    Participants are asked if they feel tiered in the morning (Not at all, some mornings, most mornings, don't know)

    Measured: Baseline - at time of inclusion

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Apr 2019
  2. Study start27 Mar 2019
  3. Primary completion26 Apr 2019
  4. Study completion26 Apr 2019

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrolment
208 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03910517
Sponsor's protocol ID
Project E-sport
Status last verified
May 2019
First submitted
26 Mar 2019
Last updated
9 Jul 2019
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Johnston R, Cahalan R, O'Keeffe M, O'Sullivan K, Comyns T. The associations between training load and baseline characteristics on musculoskeletal injury and pain in endurance sport populations: A systematic review. J Sci Med Sport. 2018 Sep;21(9):910-918. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2018.03.001. Epub 2018 Mar 14.

    PubMed 29559317

  • Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med. 2016 Mar;50(5):273-80. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2015-095788. Epub 2016 Jan 12.

    PubMed 26758673

  • Juho Hamari, Max Sjöblom, What is eSports and why do people watch it? Internet Res. 2017

  • DiFrancisco-Donoghue J, Balentine J, Schmidt G, Zwibel H. Managing the health of the eSport athlete: an integrated health management model. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2019 Jan 10;5(1):e000467. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000467. eCollection 2019.

    PubMed 30792883

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Musculoskeletal Pain, run by University College of Northern Denmark at 1 site in Denmark.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Jul 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Denmark. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Prevalence of pain in the body during the previous week. (time frame: Baseline - at time of inclusion). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03910517, which also lists 4 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Jul 2019; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.

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