Association of upper limb musculoskeletal pain with poor quality of sleep among e-gamers in a private university in Malaysia

E-sports requires prolonged sitting and repetitive movements which makes e-gamers susceptible to develop musculoskeletal pain in different body parts. Moreover, their quality of sleep may also be affected. It is very important for physiotherapist to identify the relationship between musculoskeletal pain and poor quality of sleep among e-gamers, so as to develop more precise treatment plan and provide higher quality of patient education.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the association between upper limb musculoskeletal pain with poor quality of sleep among e-gamers in a private university in Malaysia.

The sample consisted of 42 e-gamers from a private university in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted by using Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Sleep Quality Scale. The association between musculoskeletal pain and poor sleep quality was evaluated using chisquare test.

E-gamers with poor sleep quality showed significant association with musculoskeletal pain in shoulder (p=0.052), wrist and hands (p=0.004). There was no significant association between musculoskeletal pain in elbow and poor sleep quality (p=0.657).

Our findings revealed that musculoskeletal pain in shoulder, wrist and hands was significantly associated with poor sleep quality among e-gamers in a private university in Malaysia.