Skip to Content

Get the latest on Wrath of the Lich King on WoW Insider!
Holidash Blog
AOL Tech

Posts with tag Physical Therapy

Nintendo Wii Adopted By Physical Therapists for Patients

Wii Adopted by Physical Therapists

Despite all the stories that claim video games are corrupting our children, plenty of good news regarding video games is also surfacing lately, much of due to Nintendo's charge to expand its market to non gamers. This was spurred on by the success of games like 'Brain Age' among senior citizens, and now the Wii is finding even more success in strange places, like physical therapy offices.

Some therapists are now using the device as a fun prescription, a means to force patients to focus on things like balance and coordination and do so in a confined space. The bowling game in 'Wii Sports,' for example, requires good timing and some reasonably precise movements, and, best of all, can be played without swinging a real bowling ball around.

The Wii Balance Board, coming to the U.S. sometime next year, should make the console even more attractive, allowing the Wii to chart gamers' balance as they perform simple calisthenics, simulate ski jumps, and play silly games that involve leaning.

Now if only if were actually possible to buy one of the things before Christmas.

From Reuters

Related Links:

Nintendo Wii Rehabilitates Injured Soldiers, Stroke Victims

Nintendo Wii Rehabilitates Injured Soldiers, Stroke Victims

Since its release late last year, the motion-sensitive Nintendo Wii has become a runaway success for many reasons, including famously keeping the aging and elderly active with a variety of sports titles.

Given the video-game console's unorthodox penchant for promoting physical activity instead of discouraging it, it seems only natural that physical therapists have begun putting the system to use to help patients achieve better balance and motor skills. As Minneapolis/St. Paul CBS affiliate WCCO reports, therapists at the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital are seeing great results among stroke patients who play 'Wii Tennis.' In addition to actually exercising the patient back to health, the therapists note that the Wii makes the process of rehabilitation more fun. According to WCCO, the U.S. Army has also also hopped aboard the Wii Train, testing the system out on injured soldiers in Landstuhl, Germany to help them regain their strength.

With Nintendo's upcoming 'Wii Fit', which includes a pressure-sensitive balance board that can be used for everything from push-ups to yoga to aerobics on the way early next year, we expect that more practical uses for the Wii's unique controls are on the way.

From Engadget

Related Links:

    Switched Video

     



    Featured Galleries

    AOL Tech Network


    Latest Reviews from CNET.com

    CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

    Top Product Reviews

    AOL News

    Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in: