Wiihabilitation: Using the Nintendo Wii for "Wiihab" Therapy

Who ever thought that a gaming system could become a tool for doctors and therapists when treating people with disabilities? Nintendo's Wii video game system is quickly becoming all the rage in rehabilitation centers across the US. The Palm Beach Post recently ran an article by Lindsay Tanner of the Chicago AP, coining the term "Wiihabilitation" and shedding some light on the usefulness of the Nintendo Wii as a rehabilitation tool.

Jozefa Debogorski, M.D., of Palm Beach County, Florida, is a Board Certified physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and has been working with people with disabilities for over 25 years. She commented on the recent article and the role the Wii has begun to take in rehab centers across the US. "I am very excited that after 25 years something like this is available. I see so much sense in it, and I see it being used in multiple applications." Debogorski's first thought when asked about the best attribute of the Wii, "It's not boring!" She continued with, "If somebody enjoys something, we know that a good mood releases endorphins in the brain, thus heightening the effectiveness of the exercise. Patients actually look forward to it, rather than just treating it as yet another exercise that they have to do."

In regards to the types of games certain people could play relative to their specific rehab needs, Debogorski replies, "The sports games, such as bowling, boxing and golf, are great for paraplegics [individuals paralyzed from the waist down] because there is a lot of arm movements involved, and it would help strengthen the shoulder complex and the individual muscles in the arms, as well as the trunk muscles. For people who may have some balance issues or lower extremity strength loss, like those who have suffered strokes or traumatic brain injuries, games such as tennis, where more full body movement is involved, would be ideal." In fact in some rehabilitation facilities, such as Ohio State University Medical Center Hospital's Rehabilitation Center are prescribing mandatory "Wiihab" for all of their patients with stroke and traumatic brain injury. Debogorski says, "Truthfully, all of the games could in one way or another benefit patients by increasing their strength, endurance, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination."

When asked about the future of the Nintendo Wii in rehabilitation therapy, Debogorski said "I would hope that we see every rehab clinic with one of these systems. I would also like to see some funded research being done into the effectiveness of the Wii as a rehabilitation tool, especially with children suffering from cerebral palsy. It would be interesting to see the effects, both physical and emotional, that playing the games would have on the children. It would truly be something engaging for these young children, and it would also be something that their peers or friends are playing, making it that much more appealing."

Additional Sources:

Doctors Use Wii Games for Rehab Therapy

A Wii Bit of Fun for Brain-Injury Patients