Gaming Therapy New Innovations

LISA D. MICKEY reporting in the New York Times on September 8, 2012 tells how in the world of health care, Nintendo  golf is not only a high-tech toy but also a tool in  occupational, neurological and physical rehabilitation.

“It is similar to what we do in physical therapy,” said Dean Beasley, who is the director of inpatient rehabilitation at Doctors Hospital, Augusta, Ga. “The Nintendo allows the patient to practice what they’ve done in therapy and also lets them know they can still play golf.”

Patients recovering from brain injuries or strokes are always concerned about their balance and movement while others want to improve their range of motion and in general their gross motor function like walking and lifting. This helps them do it. The Wii golf inserts an element of pleasure in an otherwise sometimes painful therapy. Patients who previously played golf have a greater motivation to use this form of physical therapy.

The electronic system includes a motion sensitive wand and animated screens that contain holes in a golf course.

Getting the patients to make certain movements is much easier for the therapist with this simulated golf game. In addition it gives the patient the ability to control balance and maintain coordination. Adaptations of this system now include other games such as bowling, tennis and baseball. Some patients have even been able to play from a wheelchair sitting position. Using this system has had the side effect of making the patient less dependent on the therapist in improving balance as well as helping him stay active.

Patients receive immediate feedback as to their progress in motor skills, balance and coordination and don’t think of it as exercise.

Perhaps one of the most important results of using the Wii Nintendo system is that the patient recovery time has been shortened. Some patients actually request more time than what they were otherwise required to do. In the Kaiser Permanente neurological physical therapy program some patients have actually purchased the game for home use which will just enhance and speed up their recovery.

The Wii golf game system of physical therapy for stroke or brain injury victims joins other physical therapy solutions that have been in existence for some time already such as the TUTOR system. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR utilize an exciting and exclusive series of games such as snowman, ball, car race, bubbles and volley ball, amongst others, to allow the patient to control his balance and give him a greater range of motion. The TUTORs  consist of motion sensitive gloves and braces that allow the physical therapist to monitor the patient’s progress and then design a customized and realistic plan for that patient. This fun way of achieving limb movement improvement has reduced the time that patients need to get the therapy they require much more so than with the traditional and sometimes monotonous therapy.

The TUTORs are  fully certified by the FDA and CE; are available for children as young as 5 and can also be used at home through the use of telerehabilitation. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for further information.