I don’t know about you but I was pretty amazed by how easily I broke a sweat the first time I played with my kids Wii. It’s been a lot of fun and led to a more than a few sore muscles.

So I wasn’t surprised by this story on the popularity of the Nintendo Wii with rehab facilities. They are using the game system to work with CVA patients, orthopedic patients, and soldiers wounded in combat.

The primary advantage mentioned in the article:  No boredom!  Instead of the series of boring, repetitive lifting and range of motion exercises, patients can now play games with the same movements and range included in the game play.

Physical and occupational therapists see the benefit in the eagerness of their patients to return to the game to defeat their opponents or reach a higher score.  Instead of having to urge and convince patients to work harder, these therapists are having to urge and convince them to stop.

The lesson here for all medical professionals is to think outside of the box and use new technology in new ways to reach the old goals.