Flexible Fitness: Just a 'Wii' bit of exercise

By Lisa Brown

Just when the obesity crisis in the United States seems to be hitting its peak, who would have thought that a video game would come to our rescue? Haven't we been telling our kids to get off the couch and stop playing their video games?

A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine says that playing a new generation of virtual reality video games - such as the Nintendo Wii - will expend 65 percent more energy than playing a sedentary game.

The remote hand controls are used while interacting with your television screen. With the motion-sensitive remote, players can simulate active games such as baseball, boxing or even swimming. There are training modes for practice, and competitive modes to test your skill.

The journal goes on to caution that this does not burn as much energy as playing the actual sport, and does not meet the recommended daily amount of exercise, but it's a start.

In fact, these virtual reality gaming systems are demonstrating benefits well beyond the entertainment of the adolescent age group to whom they are marketed. The Nintendo Wii is being used in outpatient physical rehabilitation centers throughout the United States, with the term "Wii-habilitation" used as an adjunct to conventional physical therapy.

Maintaining balance on the Wii Fit board can be used to help an 18-year-old gain strength and improve sensory feedback after an ankle sprain as well as improve the standing balance of an 88-year-old whose goal is to be able to stand for a longer amount of time and reach for something without losing her balance.

The sometimes tedious and often boring exercises of physical rehabilitation are replaced with interactive games that also promote visual tracking, sequencing, coordination, range of motion, endurance and mental focus. Patients have an opportunity to be distracted from the pain or fear of falling, and are more motivated to participate in a program that is enjoyable.

Virtual reality devices are being used in a variety of settings. Hospitals are using virtual reality to promote relaxation and pain control in the emergency and operating rooms. Nursing homes and senior centers use the Wii as a social activity.

The Wii game system promotes movement and allows people who may not be able to hit a golf ball on an actual golf course to at least get a feel for the game on a virtual course. Scientific research has demonstrated that people with disabilities are able to learn with virtual systems, and that movements patterns obtained within the virtual system are carried over into the real world.

According to Beth Grill, an advanced physical therapist at Spaulding Framingham, "Use of the Wii has added another exciting dimension to our treatment of patients with orthopedic and neurological problems. Patients are having fun in therapy which only adds to their success."

Lisa Brown is an expert level physical therapist at Spaulding Framingham Outpatient Center. Lisa specializes in the treatment of patients with neurologic disorders, and is certified in the treatment of balance and vestibular disorders. If you have any questions about the use of virtual reality systems in rehab, Lisa can be contacted at lbrown12@partners.org, or by phone at 508-8720-2200, ext. 4428.