Wounded G.I.s' New Rehab: Wii Sports, Guitar Hero
Army medic Matt Bell couldn't even tie his own shoes, after he was shot by a sniper, just above the left clavicle. There was major nerve damage in one hand; a shoulder was barely functional. Â
Now, a year and half later, Bell has a great deal of his mobility back -- thanks, in part, to his Nintendo Wii.
“'Wii Sports' forces him to grip the remote-controller and move his hand, and sometimes his entire arm, to play successfully," Soldiers magazine notes. "Guitar Hero promotes dexterity in his fingers, which became rigid from lack of use after his injury."
Hector Romero, another WRAMC [Walter Reed Army Medical Center] occupational therapist, said the Wii focuses a patient’s attention on playing, not on the pain and fatigue that often accompany rehabilitation.
“When the body is hurt, it tries to stop movement because all it wants to do is heal,� Romero said. “With the Wii, patients overcome their fears and the body’s reaction to movement. It is a positive distraction, and is extremely effective in improving dexterity and eliciting an increased range of motion.�
Obviously, Bell has had all kinds of surgeries and types of rehab, too. But Walter Reed's therapists are combining the Wii with the more traditional therapies.
Romero gave the example of a patient with an upper-extremity injury who was asked to hold a weight in his hand with his elbow bent, which forces the forearm down and stretches the muscles, ligaments and tendons. The exercise can be painful, Romero said, but with the Wii remote in the opposite hand and his attention focused on the game unfolding on the screen, the patient was unaware of the discomfort until after the therapy.