In the aftermath of MLG’s CS:GO Major in Columbus, Ohio, it becomes clear that esports has yet another topic to address: sports injury. The predominant conditions are unsurprisingly wrist problems, particularly the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Wrist injuries have become a performance-crippling, if not career-threatening issue for pro-gamers the likes of Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács and Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer—who clearly underperformed at the Major due to their wrist issues.

Both olofmeister and GuardiaN won’t be able to attend the next premier tournament, DreamHack Masters Malmö, as it was announced today. This is not only tragic on an individual level, but also a major setback for their respective teams, Fnatic and Na’Vi. Their absence hurts the competitiveness of DreamHack Malmö, as well as all affected events to come. The issue of injuries is being hurtfully overlooked and needs to be addressed as fast as possible—by all parties involved, including league operators, tournament organizers, teams, players, peripheral manufacturers, physiotherapists, surgeons, etc.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Soccer teams lose an equivalent of 10 to 30 per cent of player payroll to injuries.[/perfectpullquote]

Injuries in esports are going to become an economic burden in the near future. Medical treatment is costly. But, health benefits in player contracts isn’t common. Moreover, there is no union or association to deal with this aspect of player protection, and teams with dedicated medical staff remain a vain wish.

A look at traditional sports shows what esports might have in its future: a report showed that on average, half of all NHL players have missed at least one game due to injury with a total salary cost of more than $200 million per year. In the NBA, knee injuries alone cost more than $350 million in 2014. It is estimated that every year, soccer teams lose an equivalent of 10 to 30 per cent of player payroll to injuries. The estimated average cost of player injuries in the top four professional soccer leagues in 2015 is $12.4 million per team.

Injuries in esports are nothing new, as well. Across games and nations, injuries derail the careers of pro-players for some time past.

In fact, the list of top-notch esports players suffering from injuries gets longer every year. In 2011, Lee “Flash” Young Ho, known to be one of the most dominant players in the history of StarCraft 2, endured a surgery to get rid of his wrist problems, and had to take a recovery break, including a stay at a sports rehabilitation facility. “At the beginning, my arm was stiff and I was not able to hold my mouse. It even hurt me a little, but I am doing my hardest to recover,” he said during his therapy.

A fellow in misery is Jung “Mvp” Jong Hyun, StarCraft 2’s third-highest earning player at that time, who suffered from pains in his neck that caused numbness in his shoulder and arms:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Because of the pains in my spine, sometimes my arm will go numb. My shoulders feel terrible. Sometimes, I can’t even pick up the mouse.”[/perfectpullquote]

In 2014, it struck the North-American Dota 2 scene when Clinton “Fear” Loomis was sidelined by his team Evil Geniuses. He had suffered a form of tennis elbow, severe enough to bench one of the most storied Dota players, and one of the best NA players in the past decade. “Because of my elbow/forearm pain, I have decided to sit out for the remainder of the season. I’m sorry to all of my fans that were expecting me to play at TI, but I will not be playing in any more tournaments for EG, and Mason will be taking my place,” he said in a statement.

Last year, the sudden retirement of Cloud9’s Hai “Hai” Lam caused a lot of headlines (although he came back to play later). “My wrist injury is something that I simply cannot ignore,” he said in a statement to his fans. “It limits my ability to play as much as I need to and my ability to improve. I cannot keep up with the amount of Solo Queue games my teammates play and it’s not fair to them.”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If left untreated, that type of blood clot could have traveled into his lungs, causing pulmonary embolism, which leads to death.[/perfectpullquote]

Unfortunately, hand and arm injuries aren’t the only kinds to afflict esports players. In 2013, StarCraft 2 player Geoff “Incontrol” Robinson suffered a blood clot in his knee. If left untreated, that type of blood clot, called a DVT, could have traveled into his lungs, causing pulmonary embolism, which leads to death. One of the causes of this type of clot includes sitting for long periods of time, something every esports player is familiar with.

The bottom line is that people don’t often think about the dangers of playing esports. While they mimic the dangers of working in an office environment, there are subtle differences—like not being able to stand up and walk just to stretch whenever you feel like it—that make them drastically different.

It’s time for leagues and teams, which are profiting immensely, to take these factors into account. Contracts that don’t address health insurance are lawsuits waiting to happen, especially as players and teams begin to discuss the employee/contractor issue. Ignoring this issue won’t make it go away, and it only takes one serious injury to send the entire industry toppling.