Console game is well fit

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Issue: 07 May 2008
Author: Louise Hunt

Physiotherapists should be prescribing 'Wii time' to enhance rehabilitation, according to a growing number of enthusiasts.

Member discussions on interactiveCSP, the Society’s member networking website, reveal that the Nintendo Wii game is a hot topic for practitioners. The interactive games console simulates sports or games, such as skiing or tennis that are played by moving a wand at a screen.

A number of physios are using the Wii in services ranging from burns units to paediatrics and stroke rehab, according to the iCSP forum.

Beryl Gillespie, head of physiotherapy at Cambridge Care Homes, said Wii was helping to improve balance in older people at three of the homes. They use it to play games such as bowling or tennis in groups. ‘It is quite difficult to get older people active while standing, and it does help with their balance. With some research, there could be a link with Wii and falls prevention,’ she said.

Older people enjoyed playing the game because it was interactive, required minimal movement and was seen as a fun. She hopes to introduce the game at more homes.

An iCSP member working in a children’s rehab unit said she, too, had seen the benefits of Wii: ‘Last Christmas a few children got them as presents. I noticed that their dynamic standing balance was markedly improved.’

Private practitioner Sammy Margo said ‘Physios should embrace the Wii as the latest therapeutic tool and prescribe Wii time.’  Ms Margo added that the tool was particularly good for exercise therapy as it moved the body in diagonals that were closer to natural movement than many other prescribed exercise routines.

Wii Fit, the fitness version of the Nintendo game, was launched on April 25.