Posted on 10/03/2009 9:39:06 AM PDT by Saije
One of the most popular video gaming crazes has sparked its very own category of high-tech injuries.
The Wii is a fun way to get in a workout and some good quality family time
The game is also a great way to make a fool of yourself in front of a group of people. But you can get hurt if you don't know when to say "when" with your Wii...
For the young or just young at heart, Wii is the workout happening in living rooms across the country.
Noel Blair got hooked on bowling. "Almost daily, I was doing it game after game after game. And then you lose track of how many games you played."
She pulled the muscle that sits over her sciatic nerve. "I went to get out of bed, and I had the worst pain."
It's not your typical sports strain. Orthopedic specialists like Dr. John Sperling call it Wii-itis. "Sort of sparked a whole other type of injury that we've actually never even seen before."
It's an injury that made its way into the New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors in Britain say up to 10 people are hospitalized each week with Wii-itis.
"For most people, they would play maybe an hour of tennis and stop...with the Wii, there's an unlimited amount of time you can play, and there's really not the same feedback of getting tired playing a sport," Sperling explained.
In normal sports, the force of impact slows the arm. With Wii, no ball means no force, and swinging through air causes strain.
"In this, there's nothing really to resist that force," Sperling said.
Doctors say, don't blame the game -- just don't overdo it. A simple flick of the wrist is enough to bowl a strike or return a serve.
(Excerpt) Read more at abclocal.go.com ...
No Wii here; What’s wrong with shooting zombies for half the day?
Can't have common sense get in the way of Government regulation...
Sounds like calisthenics.
>>Doctors in Britain say up to 10 people are hospitalized each week with Wii-itis.
If they had to pay for a visit, I bet there would be a lot less cases of Wii-itis. I hurt my knee on my Wii Fit once and treated it at home. A few days later, I was good as new but I learned from the experience that the Wii Fit is a harsh coach that doesn’t know or care that you are overworking a joint.
I guess we need to send people to the Groucho Marx Medical School:
“Doctor, it hurts when I do this.”
“Then don’t do that!”
Most people I know that play Wii usually take the easy way out, just as they do in real life, if they box, bowl or whatever, they sit down and barely move their arms or wrist to play, and it works. I am talking Teens and early 20s here, my grandkids friends. I don’t see how they could get injuries from the way they play Wii.
*
Man, that kinda defeats the point of it all. I love standing up and swinging the club/bat/racket.
Any “injuries” are the fault of the users though. They have the lanyards and protective sleeves for the control now, the game (WiiSports at least) gives a “maybe you should take a break?” message if you play for 15+ mins at a stretch.
Don’t need spiffy graphics, this is the most video game fun I have had in years honestly.
Is that as fun as blasting the evil Halo aliens?
Although after the first six pack, it's mostly Master Chief humblegunner getting blasted.
You mean they're all Wii-Wiied up?
More or less, though I bet I’ll enjoy it more when I’m playing as Dick Marcinko when Rogue Warrior comes out.
Oh G-d!
You’d think that whoever was taping would put the camera down and help the poor kid who was getting Roman Polanski-ed by the dog.
I am still suffering from Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Zelda.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.