Search titles only
By:
Home
Forums
New posts
Search forums
Articles
New articles
New comments
Search articles
Pinball DB
Pinball Tables
Pinball Games
What's new
New posts
New articles
New profile posts
New article comments
Latest activity
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More options
Contact us
Close Menu
Welcome Back to Digital Pinball Fans -
please read this first
For latest updates, follow Digital Pinball Fans on
Facebook
and
Twitter
Home
Forums
Farsight Studios
The Pinball Arcade / Farsight Studios
The Dark Side of TPA: over-exertion and injuries
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Slam23" data-source="post: 235452" data-attributes="member: 896"><p>Hi guys,</p><p>I thought it would be a "fun" topic to cover something nobody probably wants to admit: if you get really addicted to this TPA thing, bad things can and will happen to mind and body. Aside from getting your soul sucked into the Abyss by say a table like Big Shot or experiencing a major depressive episode because you messed that last ball up that would have led you to a top 10 score, I'm mostly talking physical stuff here. Let me be the first one to admit to some level of addiction and therefore copious playing time. I know it's probably better to stop every two hours to take a break but boy, when I have that thing rolling, it's just hard to step away! In any case I have had my share of letdowns when putting that monster game away for a while and then returning to it, even despite VikingErik's great advice to stop at a major MB giving you more time to adjust to picking the game up again. </p><p></p><p>Anyway, this is what I have been going through over the last couple of TPA seasons:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> cramped up neck/shoulder/back muscles: playing on iOS for me often means a crouched body position. You sit down with the iPad, crane your neck forward to not have to hold up the iPad in the air and this already puts stress on your back/neck. Add to that (unnecessary) force used starting out from your back to eventually push your thumbs down on the screen et voila: back trouble.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> lower back pain: just sitting down for so long will stress out your lower back, we are definitely not built to sit for hours on end. I also have a job that requires a lot of sitting, so I'm actually working out when I stand behind a real machine <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> over-exerted thumbs/joints: it doesn't matter how often I say to myself that pushing harder won't do anything to what is happening on the screen, I catch myself doing just that a lot, often in tense or frustrating moments. Add to that a table that favors one flipper (here's looking at you Black Knight) and you have yourself some light tendinitis or small repetitive strain injury. I even had a quite long-lasting fasciculation in my thumb muscle, you know the same kind of involuntary tremor that people often have with an eye-lid or leg-muscle. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> split thumbs: this one directly follows from the previous one. When I have a particular intense TPA phase, I sometimes split the skin of my thumb, just at the juncture where my nail digs downward into the skin. It's a small split but can be quite deep and uncomfortable. It's clearly from the pressure applied to the screen and as said above, often unnecessary forceful.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> fatigued wrists: this one I get the most from playing real life pinball, also because of pushing too hard. With TPA I get it less frequently because the thumb is more involved, but if I play for a really long time, even a light iPad Air 2 gets heavier on the wrists. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> sleeping legs/buttocks: no need to explain, just very long games involved <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> A good TPA location like the toilet (quiet surroundings, privacy) just adds more fun to this point. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> cramped up jaw muscle: I developed a bit of tic in which I involuntarily "pull faces" at intense TPA moments, also drawing rave reviews from onlookers like my kids and girlfriend <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> . In long games I can feel it afterward in a tightened jaw muscle. </li> </ul><p></p><p>Well, this is possibly not everything but you get the gist of it....Thanks Farsight! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p>Now let's hear it from you guys....I can't be the only one suffering here.... <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Slam23, post: 235452, member: 896"] Hi guys, I thought it would be a "fun" topic to cover something nobody probably wants to admit: if you get really addicted to this TPA thing, bad things can and will happen to mind and body. Aside from getting your soul sucked into the Abyss by say a table like Big Shot or experiencing a major depressive episode because you messed that last ball up that would have led you to a top 10 score, I'm mostly talking physical stuff here. Let me be the first one to admit to some level of addiction and therefore copious playing time. I know it's probably better to stop every two hours to take a break but boy, when I have that thing rolling, it's just hard to step away! In any case I have had my share of letdowns when putting that monster game away for a while and then returning to it, even despite VikingErik's great advice to stop at a major MB giving you more time to adjust to picking the game up again. Anyway, this is what I have been going through over the last couple of TPA seasons: [LIST] [*] cramped up neck/shoulder/back muscles: playing on iOS for me often means a crouched body position. You sit down with the iPad, crane your neck forward to not have to hold up the iPad in the air and this already puts stress on your back/neck. Add to that (unnecessary) force used starting out from your back to eventually push your thumbs down on the screen et voila: back trouble. [*] lower back pain: just sitting down for so long will stress out your lower back, we are definitely not built to sit for hours on end. I also have a job that requires a lot of sitting, so I'm actually working out when I stand behind a real machine :) [*] over-exerted thumbs/joints: it doesn't matter how often I say to myself that pushing harder won't do anything to what is happening on the screen, I catch myself doing just that a lot, often in tense or frustrating moments. Add to that a table that favors one flipper (here's looking at you Black Knight) and you have yourself some light tendinitis or small repetitive strain injury. I even had a quite long-lasting fasciculation in my thumb muscle, you know the same kind of involuntary tremor that people often have with an eye-lid or leg-muscle. [*] split thumbs: this one directly follows from the previous one. When I have a particular intense TPA phase, I sometimes split the skin of my thumb, just at the juncture where my nail digs downward into the skin. It's a small split but can be quite deep and uncomfortable. It's clearly from the pressure applied to the screen and as said above, often unnecessary forceful. [*] fatigued wrists: this one I get the most from playing real life pinball, also because of pushing too hard. With TPA I get it less frequently because the thumb is more involved, but if I play for a really long time, even a light iPad Air 2 gets heavier on the wrists. [*] sleeping legs/buttocks: no need to explain, just very long games involved :) A good TPA location like the toilet (quiet surroundings, privacy) just adds more fun to this point. [*] cramped up jaw muscle: I developed a bit of tic in which I involuntarily "pull faces" at intense TPA moments, also drawing rave reviews from onlookers like my kids and girlfriend :) . In long games I can feel it afterward in a tightened jaw muscle. [/LIST] Well, this is possibly not everything but you get the gist of it....Thanks Farsight! :) Now let's hear it from you guys....I can't be the only one suffering here.... :) [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Members online
No members online now.
Latest posts
Z
Strategies.
Latest: Zaphod77
Apr 18, 2024
WHO dunnit (1995)
Home
Forums
Farsight Studios
The Pinball Arcade / Farsight Studios
The Dark Side of TPA: over-exertion and injuries
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top