Rehab or Wii-hab?
Rehabilitation therapy is an integral part of recovery for those suffering from accident injuries, combat wounds, and medical conditions such as strokes. But it involves routine, repetitive, and boring exercises such as stretching, lifting, and balancing - physical tasks that many patients find stressful and tedious.
Nintendo’s Wii video game system is changing all that. Using the game consoles motion sensitive controller, Wii games such as baseball, golf, and tennis involve body movements akin to those of traditional physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Not only that, the Wii gaming system is so engrossing, that patients often forget the pain while they’re playing the game.
In fact, wii-hab is becoming a big hit with patients of all ages.
Check it out…
Rehab or Wii-hab - which would you prefer ?
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POSTED IN: Computers, Health, Medicine, Misc., Prevention, Technology, Treatment, Your Body, disability
4 opinions for Rehab or Wii-hab?
Marijke
Feb 13, 2008 at 8:04 am
I bought a Wii this past Christmas specifically for the sports games.
While I’m not officially rehabbing from anything, I do have chronic aches and pains that are not helped with my sedentary life as a writer. Add to that a really socked in winter season this year, and I don’t get a lot of exercise.
While the Wii isn’t anything like playing the real thing, I find that I really enjoy the tennis and play at least one match (five games) a day, if not more. It gets me up and away from my desk and it’s fun. :-)
Miranda
Feb 13, 2008 at 11:14 am
I realized that the Wii should definitely count as exercise after I had more next-day soreness from playing games on it than after an especially hard pilates class.
Wii-hab for me!
Liz
Feb 14, 2008 at 12:03 am
Hi Marjike, sounds like fun. And also healthy. Hadn’t really given much thought things like playstation and wii until I started reading up on the rehab factor…
now I want one for myself…much more interesting than using the treadmill or cross trainer during the winter months…
Seems that a lot of retirement villages are getting in the act as well, creating social activities times for residents to compete with the machine and each other…
Liz
Feb 14, 2008 at 12:05 am
Hi Miranda,
sounds like you got a workout…which games did you try out - baseball, tennis. bowling ???
wi-hab definitely sounds like the thing…
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