Skin doctors discover 'PlayStationitis'

By Robert Purchese Published 24 February, 2009

Sweaty pad-handlers get sores.

Skin doctors have discovered a condition they've named 'PlayStation palmar hidradenitis', which causes very painful sores on the palms of hands.

Researchers for the British Journal of Dermatology outlined the case of a 12-year-old girl admitted to hospital with the symptoms, as reported by the BBC.

She had developed red lumps more commonly found on the soles of feet and thought to be a by-product of heavy, sweaty physical activity, such as running.

But our lazy subject hadn't been doing any of that. She had, however, recently started playing a PlayStation game for several hours a day. The little trooper even continued to play after the sores manifested.

Eventually, after 10 days abstinence, her hands healed and she was given the all-clear.

"If you're worried about soreness on your hands when playing a games console, it might be sensible to give your hands a break from time to time, and don't play excessively if your hands are prone to sweating," advised Nina Goad from the British Association of Dermatologists.

The researchers concluded that 'PlayStation palmar hidradenitis' could be added to the list of physical symptoms caused by addiction to videogames. Acute tendonitis, dubbed Wiitis, is another.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (37) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DFawkes #1 3 years ago

    Yeah right Rob. You got this from the forums and you know it! Who got it from the BBC, admittedly.

    No real gamer will ever get this though. Our hands are covered in a think, controler-resistant layer of skin, and our wrists reinforced by carefully exercised wrist action. Repeatedly.

  • penhalion #2 3 years ago

    Tell me this is a joke. I use a mouse day in and day out at work and never get anything like this so how the frak could a girl get this from just a few hours gaming a day. What was she doing putting sand paper on the grips?!?

  • jonthepymm #3 3 years ago

    An affliction that affects casual gamers only? Hardcore ftw.

  • the_dudefather #4 3 years ago

    /prepares disability allowances claim form

  • HermitArcader #5 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • beckyh #6 3 years ago

    Not much different to the Nintendo thumb then? Or the red ring of anus from sitting at the xbox for so long?

  • mcwildcard #7 3 years ago

    'Nintendo thumb' was well known by American doctors during the NES days.

  • The_Inquisitor #8 3 years ago

    If only Naomi was on hand to relieve some of the pain that can come from playing games by using here Nano technology, then everything would be ok.

  • DFawkes #9 3 years ago

    I have to admit, my wrists were knackered the first time I started to play FPSs on PC - up until College, I was console only. Then, the Solider of Fortune 2 MP Test was discovered, and we all played that a lot. Mouse and keyboard kills at first, but I'll older, wiser, and resistant to mouse use now.

  • ianegg #10 3 years ago

    Well the PS pads aren't exactly designed with ergonomics in mind, and a 12 year old girl's hands are pretty small. Do they really need to invent an -itis just for one case? tiny-hands-holding-an-unnatural-shape-for-a-long-time-itis probably already covers it.

  • iokthemonkey #11 3 years ago

    I had a lump of hard skin on my wrist/lower palm from playing SWG and moving the mouse...

  • menage #12 3 years ago

    Wuss, play till you bleed.

  • Fixxxer #13 3 years ago

    I had a similar condition for which the doctor also recommended abstinence.

  • chessboxer #14 3 years ago

    Over 16 years of PC and console gaming and I've never had such a problem. The closest to anything described by this was sore/flat thumb "syndrome" when Street Fighter 2 hit the SNES. I've done many 14 hour Counter-Strike: Source/UT99/2004 and 6+ hour Killzone 2, MGO or Bad Company sessions without a problem.

  • Toothball #15 3 years ago

    I only get regular RSI from playing games too long. I want a new condition too!

  • Ryze #16 3 years ago

    Dual shock needs a redesign as it hurts and aches the hands.

  • wayneh #17 3 years ago

    I remember the old Konix Speedking joysticks they were murder on the hands after extended gaming sessions. Soon built a tolerance after a while though and still have the callouses 20 years later to prove it!

  • jambolio #18 3 years ago

    After a 24 hour binge of CoD4 my wrists were seriously sore, next time I wont use the rumble function. The other one was Mario Party on the 64, the spinny stick in the middle games wore a hole in my hands, made me feel like I had a Stigmata!
    Edited by jambolio at 24/02/09 @ 17:00

  • Razorus #19 3 years ago

    Street Fighter 2 HD Remix gave me blisters on my left thumb from the PS3 D-Pad.
    SF4 is slightly more lenient with the timing of moves, so I don't have to wank the D-pad quite so thoroughly.

  • the_dudefather #20 3 years ago

    My trigger finger was aching after a 4 hour Burnout paradise session at the weekend, you never really let go of the right trigger in the game

  • Pastici #21 3 years ago

    I got a blister from Beijing, bloody 100m sprint, didn't even break the world record :(

  • mkreku #22 3 years ago

    You kids! Until you've played Track & Field on the Commodore 64 with a TAC-2 or Wico Redball, you shouldn't complain! Furiously waggling joysticks for the win.

  • homerramone #23 3 years ago

    When I was a lad, I used to get blisters from playing robotron and defender...

    And you try n tell the kids of today that, and they wont believe ya !

  • Dr.Mott #24 3 years ago

    My fingers used to really ache when I first started playing Guitar Hero. But by the time I moved up to Hard, it seemed to stop.

  • Chufty #25 3 years ago

    I have hard conditioned skin on my thumbs and forefingers, surely from far too many years of playing videogames.

    I expect it's from console controllers though, even though I'm primarily a PC gamer.

  • cerebralbored #26 3 years ago

    @Pastici

    Spare a thought for those who had to test it during the spring and summer months before the Olympic games. I was one of those unfortunate people.

    Back on topic, I used to get a sore left thumb pressing the D-pad on any controller when I was addicted to a game during the SNES and Megadrive days. Thank goodness analogue sticks made their way onto the later consoles. Not so much pressure to the thumb.

  • Pastici #27 3 years ago

    @cerebralbored

    Unlucky man, the analogue stick is a good input method but does mess up your hands :(. How many layers of skin did you get through?

  • Ryze #28 3 years ago

    Watch out for the Dual Shock claw:

    X and R1 at the same time!

    The first MegaDrive pad game me a blister on my left thumb after playing Sonic too much in 1991-2.
    Edited by Ryze at 24/02/09 @ 19:58

  • clockworkzombie #29 3 years ago

    Back in the days of the NES there was an affliction dubbed nintendonitis caused by excessive jumping on goombas.

  • IneptPercy #30 3 years ago

    My thumbs bend both ways so I can cover 3 buttons with my thumb and still have full control of them... a gaming mutation maybe?

  • oupe #31 3 years ago

    PS3 gave me red sores of death!

  • El-Dev #32 3 years ago

    "Well the PS pads aren't exactly designed with ergonomics in mind, and a 12 year old girl's hands are pretty small. Do they really need to invent an -itis just for one case? tiny-hands-holding-an-unnatural-shape-for-a-long-time-itis probably already covers it."

    Bullshit.

  • Koozer #33 3 years ago

    The Playstation controller is the most awkward input device I've ever used - it's pants. Therefore, PS's are bad for you.

  • cerebralbored #34 3 years ago

    @Pastici

    I can't really remember very well, I think it was only a few layers. It was more likely caused by the 360's analogue sticks as they were stiffer than the PS3 ones. So in effect it was more comfortable doing 100m on the PS3 version. However, it was easier rotating analogue sticks on the 360 for events like the swimming ones where the concave analogue sticks made it more comfortable. My fingers tend to slip off the convex PS3 analogue sticks when doing the same events.

    It's nice when games give players more than one control option but it still doesn't lessen the prospect of blisters
    Edited by cerebralbored at 25/02/09 @ 13:36

  • Sunyavadin #35 3 years ago

    TBH *I* get discomforting lumps under my skin after holding a playstation pad longer than about an hour.

    It's one of the reasons I stick to the more naturally fitting Dreamcast/Gamecube/XBox/360 pads...

  • Skooch #36 3 years ago

    Let's face it, the PS3 is awkward and mishapen; not at all ergonomic. Therefore this is no surprise at all to me, I'm surprised it hasn't come up sooner.

  • aphexstwin #37 3 years ago

    wiitis. genius