It may not be quite the exercise package some had come to expect, but it appears Wii Fit may have benefits in other applications. A recent study by Kansas State University found that use of the game in the recovery programme of an injured soldier helped to improve his balance after a serious brain injury.
Shawna Jordan and Laurie Hildebrand researched the Wii's benefits in a rehabilitation context, and their study shows the soldier's balance improved and had a positive effect on his mental state too. Wins all around, then.
With this case study now a done deal, researchers are looking into using the Wii for other conditions, from ankle sprains to knee injuries. With the American Heart Association approving Nintendo's titles and now this study, it looks as though the Wii's health benefits are more robust than perhaps first thought.
[source cjonline.com]
Comments 14
Nice. It's nice Nintendo's stuff can do this kinda thing as well as just gaming.
This just in the DSi made a paralyzed man write again. Miracles
WIN
Nintendo: making the world a better place since life!
Awesome!
NINTENDO... gaming for your life of gaming.
Fan-freakin'-tastic!
Hmmmm, I wonder if the Vitality Sensor would be used for health stuff like this.
I don't know about the Wii Fit board, but I've firsthand seen playing with the Wiimote help a recovering soldier regain some lost dexterity in his hand.
Ninty should seriously start thinking about entering the health care tech market at this point, what with the Wii Fit board costing much less than $1000+ medical grade scales (and just as accurate), the rehab benefits, etc...they could really make an impact on reducing some health care equipment costs. (They're maddening focus on internet security also wouldn't be a bad thing to implement in electronic medical records databases and such too...Obama...maybe you should contract Ninty to develop some of this stuff).
That was, of course, before he tripped and was turned into a nymphomaniac.
@Token Girl: What does Obama have anything to do with this article? Please leave politics somewhere else.
This is really nothing new. Back in the retro days, people used Duck Hunt and the NES Zapper to help improve hand-eye coordination with physically challenged kids.
@JakobG
Nice one! I had almost forgotten about that story.
@JakobG
Nintendo: Enriching Lives for the Better.
Well, we sure as heck ain't seein' Sony and Microsoft doin' that. It's good to see Nintendo helps serve other purposes, apart from just gaming. The Wii Fit and Wii Sports series are good examples.
@Token_Girl - What makes this so amazing is that Nintendo is a gaming company with extra health benefits found within their games while experiencing the fun side of it. If they delved straight into the healthcare market and became a prominent less-expensive brand, all this amazement would very soon be void.
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