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Video game injuries
ABC12 ^ | 10/2/2009 | Leslie Toldo

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 ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: games; injury; videogames; wii
There's got to be a lawsuit in this eventually. Or government regulation.
1 posted on 10/03/2009 9:39:07 AM PDT by Saije
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To: Saije

No Wii here; What’s wrong with shooting zombies for half the day?


2 posted on 10/03/2009 9:41:36 AM PDT by wastedyears (The best aid we could ever give Africa would be thousands of rifles to throw out their own dictators)
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To: Saije
Doctors say, don't blame the game -- just don't overdo it.

Can't have common sense get in the way of Government regulation...


3 posted on 10/03/2009 9:42:29 AM PDT by darkwing104 (Lets get dangerous)
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To: Saije
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.

Sounds like calisthenics.

4 posted on 10/03/2009 9:44:21 AM PDT by gitmo (History books will read that Lincoln freed the slaves and Obama enslaved the free.)
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To: Saije

>>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!”


5 posted on 10/03/2009 9:45:45 AM PDT by Bryanw92 (Question O-thority!)
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To: Saije

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.


6 posted on 10/03/2009 9:47:12 AM PDT by calex59 (FUBO, we want our constitution back and we intend to get it!)
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*


7 posted on 10/03/2009 10:26:01 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3 (Obama is everything Oklahoma is not.)
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To: calex59

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.


8 posted on 10/03/2009 10:40:35 AM PDT by mquinn (Obama's supporters: a deliberate drowning of consciousness by means of rhythmic noise)
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To: wastedyears
What’s wrong with shooting zombies for half the day?

Is that as fun as blasting the evil Halo aliens?

Although after the first six pack, it's mostly Master Chief humblegunner getting blasted.

9 posted on 10/03/2009 10:44:43 AM PDT by humblegunner
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To: Saije
Dr. John Sperling call it Wii-itis.

You mean they're all Wii-Wiied up?

10 posted on 10/03/2009 10:58:45 AM PDT by SIDENET ("If that's your best, your best won't do." -Dee Snider)
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To: humblegunner

More or less, though I bet I’ll enjoy it more when I’m playing as Dick Marcinko when Rogue Warrior comes out.


11 posted on 10/03/2009 10:59:46 AM PDT by wastedyears (The best aid we could ever give Africa would be thousands of rifles to throw out their own dictators)
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To: Saije
Video games can be dangerous:

Photobucket

Photobucket

12 posted on 10/03/2009 11:06:21 AM PDT by death2tyrants
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To: Saije
Wii Fail
13 posted on 10/03/2009 11:09:48 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows ("When France chides you for appeasement, you know you're scraping bottom." --Charles Krauthammer)
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To: Slings and Arrows

More fail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hMI2-yqXWU


14 posted on 10/03/2009 11:13:52 AM PDT by wastedyears (The best aid we could ever give Africa would be thousands of rifles to throw out their own dictators)
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To: wastedyears

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.


15 posted on 10/03/2009 11:45:22 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows ("When France chides you for appeasement, you know you're scraping bottom." --Charles Krauthammer)
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To: Saije

I am still suffering from Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Zelda.


16 posted on 10/03/2009 11:57:31 AM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously... You'll never live through it.)
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