Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Department

Brain Health

First Committee Member

Sharon Jalene

Number of Pages

109

Abstract

This mixed-methods pilot study examined dorsal Kinesio® Tex Tape as a nonrestrictive occupational therapy intervention for adult PC gamers with carpal tunnel–type symptoms. As gaming participation increases, players may experience repetitive wrist and hand movements, prolonged postures, and high performance demands that contribute to discomfort, overuse symptoms, and reduced participation in meaningful gaming occupations. Four adult PC gamers completed five in-person sessions and were assigned to either dorsal wrist taping or sham scapular taping. Quantitative outcomes included the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire– Symptom Severity Scale, visual analog pain ratings, and Kovaak’s Aim Trainer performance scores and accuracy. Qualitative data were collected through participant feedback and researcher observations to examine comfort, perceived symptom relief, body awareness, posture, and gaming performance.

Although quantitative findings showed significant improvement in Pasu scores across sessions but no significant intervention effect, the qualitative findings provided important insight into the occupational value of taping. Participants reported increased wrist stability, tactile feedback, improved awareness of muscle activation, greater postural awareness, and increased confidence during gameplay. These findings suggest kinesiotape may support occupational performance by enhancing sensorimotor awareness, comfort, and self-monitoring during gaming. The qualitative data strengthen the occupational therapy relevance of this study by showing how intervention effects extend beyond pain scores or performance metrics.

Keywords

Carpal tunnel; Esports; First-person shooters; Gamers; Hand therapy; Kinesiotape

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy

File Format

PDF

File Size

892 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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