In a dramatic turn of events, a 31-year-old German gamer broke his neck while wearing a VR headset. One may think that he broke his neck probably because of falling over while playing. قمار الخيل However, this isn’t the case here. According to the doctors he suffered from injuries because of “repetitive” and “intense” movements of the neck. He would play for up to 4 hours a day. The repeated movements of the neck cause wear and tear of the cervical spine, causing it to crack.
According to experts at the University of Lepizig Hospital, this is the first reported case of a VR headset related fracture
Rapid movements of the neck in addition to the weight of the VR headset can cause injuries of the cervical spine. The patient presented with complaints of pain and swelling in the lower cervical spine. His medical history did not reveal any comorbidities. And he had no history of drug abuse or regular prescription medication use. The case report further stated that the man’s injury resembled injuries in runners and soldiers. He reported to the hospital after experiencing sharp pain in the shoulders while playing.
Although the case report did not reveal what game he was playing, doctors said that it required him to move his body to “rhythmic visual and musical triggers”
VR headsets have become increasingly popular among gamers. Similarly, in recent years, millions of headsets have been sold in the UK and US. سلوتس اون لاين The 31-year-old told the hospital staff that he had not fallen or collided with anything. Doctors advised X-ray scans that showed a fracture in the C7 neck vertebra, near the base of the neck just above the shoulders.
For treatment, the man was required to wear a neck brace for 6 weeks to support the neck. He showed full recovery after 12 weeks of wearing the brace.
While doctors did not give exact details of what may have caused the injury, it was assumed that it was because of repeated movements of the neck. These intense gaming habits lead to fatigue fractures. According to one of the authors of the study, Dr David Baur, orthopaedics and trauma specialist at the hospital where the man was treated, the injury resembled a clay shoveler’s fracture. Back in 1940s Australia, clay miners would fling material over their shoulders out of mining pits using shovels. The miners would often damage their C7 vertebra because of the strain on their spinal cord. Similar injuries are also recorded in professional athletes, including volleyball players and horse riders. However, because of the lightweight of the VR headset, the man’s injury was most likely caused because of repeated stress on the vertebra.
Source: Journal of Medical Case Reports
