High Scores: “The Gamer’s Doctor” talks hand injuries, weed & respect

In an ideal world, gamers would clock their play sessions the way parents regulate TV for their kids. They’d hit pause every half hour, walk outside and let the sun bathe their faces in brilliant warmth.

High Scores: “The Gamer’s Doctor” talks hand injuries, weed and respect
Dr. Levi Harrison is an orthopedic surgeon who works in Glendale, Calif. (Provided by Harrison)

But we live in a world of Cheetos, Mountain Dew and bongs. Dedicated gamers are more likely to spend hours in one position as they forgo bathrooms breaks and meals while virtually attacking hordes of zombies and leaping over bottomless chasms.

Smoking or eating cannabis makes them even more likely to be sedentary — think of the notorious couch-lock that afflicts lovers of indica-dominant strains — and less likely to stretch or take a break from the TV.

That’s led to an increasing number of serious repetitive stress injuries, according to Glendale, Calif.-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. Levi Harrison. He feels gaming injuries are a neglected problem, and one that’s growing alongside gaming’s general popularity.

We talked to Harrison, the self-described “Gamer’s Doctor” (dude has quite a media résumé) about quick-and-easy tips for preventing the most common gaming injuries; cannabis and its effects on the body; and why gamers get so little respect among his peers in the medical establishment.

Read the rest of the interview with Dr. Levi Harrison