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Hax On "Indefinite Hiatus" Due To Hand Injury

LiteralGrill

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Famed Melee player Hax recently tweeted that he will be on an indefinite hiatus from Smash due to a hand injury. With his announcement it seemed like a good time to talk a little bit about hand injuries and how all smash players can try to avoid them.


Maybe in the past you have heard of Nintendo Thumb, Nintendinitis, Wiiits, all of which are lighthearted names for a more serious problem, repetitive strain injuries. This can cover a wide array of things from blistering and swelled fingers to more severe tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. These can cause serious and severe damage that can have long lasting consequences so it is worth taking seriously. There are simple ways to help avoid these as well so don't be lazy and make sure to keep your hands healthy.


A picture of Hax's hand after a previous ER visit

  • Stretch Your Hands: There are a lot of stretches that can be done to help keep hands, wrists, and forearms relaxed, healthy, and strong to avoid these injuries. There are a lot of resources for this, but for those who want a solid resource quickly here is a full yoga routine for hands, wrists, and forearms.
  • Take Frequent Breaks: It's a smart idea to take a break every 15-30 minutes during practice sessions to make sure hands get proper rest as playing Smash can be stressful on them. It's tempting to just keep playing and having fun, but be smart. These breaks can also help prevent eye strain as well, so they are very worth it.
  • Change Hand Habits: For those who stress their hands during other normal daily activities try to reduce those activities or try to play a little less after a day of using your hands a lot.
  • Have Proper Posture: Having bad posture not only can strain the back, shoulders, and elbows, but many of the most common "gaming positions" twist wrists in bad positions, and can force thumbs to extend unnaturally causing more strain and potential injuries.
So take these few helpful tips seriously and implement them into that Smash training regiment to keep safe and healthy. Best of wishes to Hax and may he have a speedy recovery so that he can continue playing the game he loves.

SmashCapps has nerve damage in his hands, so he has been stretching before and after every gaming session for years and takes this very seriously. If you want more tips to keep healthy on gaming, are curious what happened to his hands, or just plain want to talk go follow him on Twitter and start a conversation.
 
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WinterShorts

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Please tell me this wasn't from going hard on the gamecube controller...
 

KayB

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Imo, there should be an article published/linked here to help make smashers aware of how they can keep there hands healthy, because there are ways to prevent this or at the very least minimize the chances of this happening.
 

MasterExocuter

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Yeah, my best friend's dad got carpal tunnel from playing WoW with a trackball. I would think that playing Melee to a degree could do something similar. MY ONLY HOPE OTHER THAN HAX'S SPEEDY RECOVERY, is that the casual/casual elitist side of the community won't mock melee because of this. Not saying it's gonna happen, but It definitely could :(
 
D

Deleted member

Guest
This is very ironic considering I went to my first tournament in a cast with a fractured wrist.
 

Pazzo.

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Heath < Smash Bros.

Remember to keep yourselves in peak condition for optimal performance.
 

Shog

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Karma for L cancel annoyance for the real Smash fans
 

Opana

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I sliced my thumb bad last year and instead of stopping I just used my
pinky >_>.

That was for casual matches though, I played some serious ones and bled so I learned my lesson lol.

Hope he gets better.
 

Grass

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I sliced my thumb bad last year and instead of stopping I just used my
pinky >_>.

That was for casual matches though, I played some serious ones and bled so I learned my lesson lol.

Hope he gets better.
I'm all for Hax getting better. However this is unnecessary. Not straining yourself while playing Smash should be common sense.
 

Jimmology

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I wonder who M2K is going to team with in melee doubles at Apex now that Hax can't play?
 
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Protom

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Relatable. I have scoliosis and always have to stretch my back between matches. It looks wierd and I know my opponent often is looking at me probably thinking "what is he doing/stop waiting time", but it's mandatory.
I feel you @Hax and @ LiteralGrill LiteralGrill ~_~
 

LiteralGrill

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Yeah, people look at me funny when after a match or two I have to tell them I need a break and do a full stretching session for my hands. I understand how difficult it can be @ Protom Protom

At least you can still play Smash and have fun, hopefully your back keeps healthy!
 

Ulevo

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For those of you who suffer from inflammation or tendinopathy, I highly recommend you immerse your hands in ice cold water for 15-20 minutes to help with this, so long as you do not have circulatory conditions such as diabetes or raynaud's. It will help preserve your hands. Also for those of you with carpal tunnel symptoms, make sure you are properly diagnosed as this can be caused by other factors like thoracic outlet syndrome. There are many people who have carpal tunnel surgery only to find out that the actual carpal tunnel wasn't the problem.
 
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Jaedrik

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good guy leffen
Contrary to popular belief, he is a pretty cool guy.
Even if I disagree with him--well, I disagree with most of the people in the world :p
His stream is chill, and he has the cutest Fox emote ever. Drop by some time!
 
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Mega Bidoof

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With his announcement it seemed like a good time to talk a little bit about hand injuries and how all smash players can try to avoid them.
Because I made an account on a video game forum to talk about my hand potentially getting broken.

Seriously, a typical hand injury is just like anything else. It's either caused from doing something stupid ("Hyuk Hyuk hey guys look what I can do!") or by a normal accident that you can't really predict and prevent.

Yeah, yoga and stuff can keep it healthy, and you shouldn't overwork your hand (just like any other part of your body), but that's common knowledge. If you were born with, or got a permanent internal hand-injury, then this stuff is necesary, but you would have already figured that out, especially if you play video games often.


This is one of the most unnecessary and weir articles I've ever seen on this site.
 

BBC7

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I might have mallet finger, should I get it checked? It affects 4 of my fingers on my left hand and my index finger on the right. I'd like to say that it affects my melee skills but I'd probably just be johning. In fact, can I even get it checked? I've had it for around 2 years now

DISCLAIMER: I just wikipedia'd it and assume that I have the condition since I can bend the tip of my fingers, if someone with more medical knowledge can explain what mallet finger is, that would be nice. I'm no doctor

EDIT: I don't have mallet finger, nevermind. I'm stupid
 
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JUSTN

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Contrary to popular belief, he is a pretty cool guy.
Even if I disagree with him--well, I disagree with most of the people in the world :p
His stream is chill, and he has the cutest Fox emote ever. Drop by some time!
sounds cool, thanks! i knew he was chill from his interview at EVO/TBH4, but i have yet to watch his stream. will drop by sometime
 

MarioMeteor

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I have to hand it to you, these are some pretty handy tips. I'll always have these on hand.
 
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