Caitlin McGee, Elliot Smithson, and Matthew Hwu are physical therapists who work at 1HP, a company improving gaming performance and prolonging gaming careers for the esport athlete. 

Caitlin was on the show with us previously talking about esports but with an evolving field, she continues to define esports as any competitive scene of a video game. 

The panel discusses the physical skills required for the esport athlete - fast reaction time, fast processing, strong upper extremity strength, posture, and endurance. Matthew discusses APM (actions per minute) which is the amount of finger movement performed while gaming.

One difference between esports PT and sports PT is the lack of infrastructure and lack of expectation eport athletes are expected to be engaging outside of the game time. 

Elliot dives into the concept of game sense which describes the esport athlete to not only be proficient in gaming performance but also to have quick decision making skills continually over time. 

Check out APTA’s recent article In Esports, Gaming and Gamers Join the Big Leagues for more information about PT’s treating in this field. 

PARTING SHOT

1:13:45 “Don’t just get yourself pigeon holed into learning the traditional models of whatever it is you’re studying. If you’re not seeking out information from sources that don’t necessarily just fit into your traditional structure, you’re missing out on so much information.” - CAITLIN 

1:14:19 “Show that you care. Listen and care for the people you work with.” - MATTHEW 

1:14:49 “Don’t be afraid to break out of that 9-5 outpatient ortho model. Really explore what you’re into. Really explore what you can offer as a PT.” - ELLIOT