Wii-habilitation: Doctors Start to Use Nintendo's Wii games for Rehab Therapy

Tore a tendon? Welcome to wiihabilitation. No, I’m not writing with a speech impediment. The awesome fact is that Nintendo's Wii video game system is fast becoming a huge hit in rehab therapy for patients recovering from a wide range of conditions from strokes to combat injuries. Hardcore Wii fans now have added proof that the popular game console is in a league of it’s own.

Boring old stretches and lifting exercises that are the standard of physical therapy can be painfully repetitive and hard for patients to stick with. Patients half-seriously say they think PT (the acronym for physical therapy) really stands for "pain and torture," admits James Osborn, who oversees rehabilitation services at Herrin Hospital in southern Illinois.

Nintendo Co. says they didn’t intend for the Wii to be used as a rehabilitation device. But the game console's motion-sensitive controller, requires body movements similar to traditional therapy exercises. Osborn says patients become so engrossed mentally they're almost oblivious to the physical pain and rigor.

"In the Wii system, because it's kind of a game format, it does create this kind of inner competitiveness. Even though you may be boxing or playing tennis against some figure on the screen, it's amazing how many of our patients want to beat their opponent," said Osborn. "When people can refocus their attention from the tediousness of the physical task, oftentimes they do much better.”

Nintendo Co. representative Anka Dolecki said that while it’s not something they planned their popular games to be used for, "We are happy to see that people are finding added benefit in rehabilitation."

Wii games like baseball, bowling, boxing, golf and tennis are popular ones in rehab since they require a wide range of motion. The Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital west of Chicago recently picked up a Wii system for its spinal cord injury unit.

It’s been a hit with patients and doctors alike. Pfc. Matthew Turpen, 22 was paralyzed from the chest down from an auto accident while stationed in Germany last year. He now plays Wii golf and bowling from his wheelchair at Hines. The Des Moines, Iowa, native says the games help beat the monotony of rehab and are helping his body regain strength and motion.

"A lot of guys don't have full finger function so it definitely helps being able to work on using your fingers more and figuring out different ways to use your hands" and arms, Turpen said.

Younger patients who already love video games are embracing the therapy happily. However, even the older folks are more than willing to trade in boring “exercises” for competitive virtual sports.

WakeMed Health has been using Wii games at its Raleigh, N.C., hospital for patients as young as 9 "all the way up to people in their 80s," said therapist Elizabeth Penny. "They're getting improved endurance, strength, coordination. I think it's very entertaining for them.”

"It really helps the body to loosen up so it can do what it's supposed to do," said Billy Perry, 64, a retired Raleigh police officer. He participates in Wii therapy at WakeMed after suffering a stroke a couple months ago.

Perry said he'd seen his grandchildren play Wii games and was excited when a hospital therapist recommended he play with one. Wii tennis and boxing helped him regain strength and feeling in his left arm.

"It's enjoyable. I know I'm going to participate with my grandkids more when I go visit them," Perry said.

However, there may be a downside. At least one rehab patient has complained of developing "Wiiitis" — a condition similar to the common affliction faced by real tennis players. Symptoms developed after the patient spent several hours playing the Wii tennis game. In spite of the possible risks, many therapists are finding that moderate use of the game console can be a great boon to getting patients who could benefit from being more physically active, as the games offer a whole new level of motivation and interest.

Posted by Rebecca Sato.

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