"Wiihabilitation" makes physical therapy fun
By: John Asante
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Perspectives
Picture yourself in this scenario: you and your daredevil friends think it would be a great idea to jump over an eight-foot flight of steps with your skateboard. As you approach the jump, you freak out, awkwardly land on the ground, and happen to severely break your arm. Tough luck. Weeks of pain and possible physical therapy ensue.
To your surprise, though, when you step into physical therapy, you are not given the typical exercises to regain strength. A familiar white box and remote sit in front of you. That's right, the NintendoWii is a part of yout physical therapy.
Since its inception into the next-generation console wars in November of 2006, Nintendo's Wii has always been slightly different in its approach.
Overshadowed by competitiors, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The Wii appeals to a variety of age ranges. People from age 8 to 80 are picking up a versatile Wiimote. Lately, the systems have become the talk of the...hospital.
Doctors are using the Wii for rehab patients.
From patients with recent strokes to combat injuries, from broken bones to surgery, monotony is no more during the recouperation period while the white controller is in use.
The routine stretches and lifts that the patients perform are at times painful and repetitive and can result in a lack of motivation to get better. However, with the Wii's rather unique motion-sensor controller, the games are inhibiting virtually the same body movements neede to perform the typical therapy sessions.
As a result, occupational therapy tasks, such as brushing teeth and combing hair are relearned much quicker. Even those patients with great loss of movement to their fingers can play, since the Wiimote does not require mashing buttons to make a move on a game.
How can a simple game help a physical therapy patien? What distinguishes the Wii games (especially the ones featured in "Wii Sports") from the usual exercises is that the patients are almost unaware they are performing the tasks they were required to before.
To your surprise, though, when you step into physical therapy, you are not given the typical exercises to regain strength. A familiar white box and remote sit in front of you. That's right, the NintendoWii is a part of yout physical therapy.
Since its inception into the next-generation console wars in November of 2006, Nintendo's Wii has always been slightly different in its approach.
Overshadowed by competitiors, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The Wii appeals to a variety of age ranges. People from age 8 to 80 are picking up a versatile Wiimote. Lately, the systems have become the talk of the...hospital.
Doctors are using the Wii for rehab patients.
From patients with recent strokes to combat injuries, from broken bones to surgery, monotony is no more during the recouperation period while the white controller is in use.
The routine stretches and lifts that the patients perform are at times painful and repetitive and can result in a lack of motivation to get better. However, with the Wii's rather unique motion-sensor controller, the games are inhibiting virtually the same body movements neede to perform the typical therapy sessions.
As a result, occupational therapy tasks, such as brushing teeth and combing hair are relearned much quicker. Even those patients with great loss of movement to their fingers can play, since the Wiimote does not require mashing buttons to make a move on a game.
How can a simple game help a physical therapy patien? What distinguishes the Wii games (especially the ones featured in "Wii Sports") from the usual exercises is that the patients are almost unaware they are performing the tasks they were required to before.
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