Nintendo

Wii Games Crucial in the Recovery of Stroke Victims

Goes to show that Wii gaming can save lives

By Alexandru Stanescu, Editor, Gaming Reviews (Consoles)

9th of October 2007, 08:47 GMT

Adjust text size:

The Nintendo Wii is also a fountain of youth

The general opinion was that gaming makes you obese, destroys your social life and causes depression... A certain percentage of this statement was true, but things have changed drastically since the Nintendo Wii was

launched. The gaming device is now considered the ideal indoor sports gear and even used with curative purposes in hospitals.

According to the US doctors, Wii games are great for "rewiring" the brain of stroke victims, allowing the patients to perform complex actions indoors without having to play real-life sports. This aids stroke victims in their attempt to regain movement of their arms or legs and it seems that German medical authorities are keen on using the console for recovering military patients. Stroke is one of the leading causes of death, so it's not a phenomenon to be ignored, considering that there are many people who risk suffering from it.

Even if the stroke does not kill you, its effects are devastating, requiring you to get assistance in order to perform the most basic moves, like getting dressed or even eating. Who would have thought that gaming could be turned into a life-saving habit? I wonder when the Wii will be seen as a medical instrument, extremely useful in physiotherapy. It seems that Wii Sports was more useful for patients suffering from strokes than real life tennis!

That's a real breakthrough discovery, which can be easily explained by the fact that Wii Sports is fun and gives the player the sense of achievement, aiding his brain in the attempt to receive messages from the arms and legs. It improves timing, reflexes and circulation, also being the perfect way to relax. That would probably explain the huge sales of Nintendo's console, as gamers might have grasped its advantages faster than the experienced medics.

TAGS:

Nintendo Wii | Medical treatment | Stroke victims | Doctors | Wii Sports

SEARCH THE NEWS ARCHIVE :

Today's News | Yesterday's News | News Archive

User opinions:

Comment #1 by: Jane Howell on 09 Jan 2008, 04:58 GMT	reply to this comment
I wish it were that simple! a physiotherapist.

Share your opinion:

SUBMIT PROGRAM \| ADVERTISE \| GET HELP \| SEND US FEEDBACK \| RSS FEEDS \| ENTER NEWS SITE \| ENGLISH BOARD \| ROMANIAN FORUM
© 2001 - 2008 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Softpedia™ and the Softpedia™ logo are registered trademarks of SoftNews NET SRL.	Copyright Information \| Privacy Policy \| Terms of Use \| Update your software \| Archive

NEWS CATEGORIES: