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Wii's what the doctor ordered
07/12/2007 11:46 - (SA)
Los Angeles - Franklin Perry used to
spend hours performing video game feats with his thumbs but
lately he has been using the Nintendo Wii, and the rest of his
body, to regain his strength after suffering a stroke.
The 51-year-old, who had a stroke about three weeks ago,
has been working hard to rebuild the muscles in his immobilised
right side at Ohio State University Medical Centre's Dodd Hall
Rehabilitation Hospital in Columbus.
"I'm just now getting some movement back," said Perry, who
before entering the centre logged his game time on a Sony
PlayStation 2 home console or in shopping mall
arcades.
Robbie Winget, an occupational therapist who oversees use
of the Wii at Dodd Hall, said news that a rehab hospital in
Alberta, Canada, was using the popular new video game system
sparked the idea.
Winget played with the Wii at a friend's house and was
convinced that it could help patients build balance,
co-ordination, endurance and upper and lower body strength.
"I thought it was cool that you used your body to control
the movement," said Winget, who added that Nintendo has not provided the hospital with the video game console.
The hospital has been using the Wii for about four months
to help people recovering from strokes and spinal cord or
traumatic brain injuries, according to Winget.
Therapists at Dodd Hall use the Wii's tennis, golf,
bowling, baseball and boxing games - which require patients to
mimic real-world play while holding a motion-sensing controller
- for physical therapy. Patients also use the web-connected
console to find information on its news or weather channels to
improve brain function.
'It makes it more exciting'
All the patients at Dodd Hall usually undergo a total of
three hours of daily therapy and work with the video game
system for about 30 minutes per day two to three times per
week.
Winget said he didn't think other home video game consoles
could match the Wii's appeal with older patients.
"The idea of sitting there fiddling a couple of buttons on
a video game (controller) is not motivating or interesting at
all," said Winget.
Perry, who favours his left hand when playing games, said
his Wii therapy includes holding the "Wiimote" controller in
his right hand while he bowls for strikes or punches and jabs
an on-screen opponent.
His therapists said he is pushing hard on all of his
exercises, but Perry said the video games are helping him go to
the next level.
"This is more fun. It makes it more exciting. It gets me to
work harder," said Perry, who has a fierce video game rivalry
with his teenage nephew.
But Winget said the Wii will not replace conventional
therapy. "It's one more way to meet specific goals associated
with therapy," he explained.
Perry said he has two goals - getting home by Christmas
and getting a Wii, supplies of which are tight for the second
holiday season in a row.
"I wish I could find one," said Perry. "Anybody that's over
who wants to play can play. If not, I'll be on that thing all
by myself."
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