Alabama doctor finds Wii injuries more common

[merh]

Alabama doctor finds Wii injuries more common

FLORENCE | The ailments are receiving tags such as “Wii-itis,” “Wii-elbow” and even the rhythmic “Wii-knee.”

They all have something in common: Patients sustain the injuries by playing the popular Nintendo Wii game.

Cases are being reported in the United States and other countries.

Apparently, the Shoals is not immune. Dr. Steve Howell, of the North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic in Florence, said cases are becoming more common at his office.

Patients complain about ailments involving shoulders, wrists, backs and other parts of the body after playing Wii.

“We’ve seen people who have developed tendinitis and flare up pre-existing back problems from games like boxing and tennis,” Howell said.

-snip-

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20090201/NEWS/901312973/at_print

:rofl:

So very true, I've suffered from Wii-elbow. :rofl:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. I was reaching for a Wii on a top shelf.... it fell on my little

head... so there is yet another problem. Outlaw gravity and this will clear up on its own.

[Catch22Dem]

2. I get Wii-shoulder from Tiger Woods 09...

I get Wii-forearm from Bowling and Wii-sweat_my_ass_off from Boxing. :evilgrin:

[merh]

5. Oh, I have to get the Tiger Woods 09 game

Have you tried Outdoor Challenge yet? It comes with a mat and you must use the mat and the controller to move and compete. Jump roping, pipe chase (I wear my biking gloves for the pipe chase).

[tridim]

3. Not surprising since any exercise can cause injury

Especially if you don't stretch beforehand.

I assume that'll be the defense if/when the lawsuits start rolling in.

[petronius]

9. True, but I wonder if the risk is exacerbated by full-speed/strength

movements without any resistance? Throwing a punch into the air is a lot different than hitting a bag, and swinging a little controller has to differ from swinging a racquet to make contact with a ball. Of course, the wii instructions might cover this (e.g. "Safety warning - don't swing too hard!").

(Caveat - I've never seen or touched a wii in my life, so this is just random speculating...)

[surrealAmerican]

20. They could put up a little stretching exercise screen ...

... before the game. Press A when you feel limber.

[donco6]

4. ME TOO!

Why the hell do I think I have to hit that tennis ball so hard!?

I feel like such a dumbshit when I'm so sore on one side the next day.

[merh]

6. I'm terrible at tennis

but my worst games are ping pong (impossible) and baseball. I can't hit to save my soul.

[The Straight Story]

7. Wii users are a drain on our health care system, we need to tax em more

:)

[merh]

8. Noooooo

We need to harness the energies as an alternate fuel source, like hamsters on wheels, another way to produce electricity.

:hi:

[BanzaiBonnie]

10. They're right. Wii is dangerous

Do not get up and move around. After years of sedentary living, you must not start moving now. Do not participate in any activity that causes you to move more than your fingers!

Yeah, we have the Wii Fit. It's wonderful. Helps me keep track of my weight daily and charts the slow downward movement. It's really very helpful. Especially if you are not inclined to walk outside in the rain or snow. And it's much cheaper than a gym membership. AND you don't have to GO anywhere after you get home from work. Everyone in the family can use it. My husband loves the step exercise. Makes exercising fun.

And the game itself reminds you to start out slow and not over exert. If your weight reaches a certain point, it also tells you, "that's obese". Something Elizabeth Hasselwhatever complained about on The View a couple of days ago. Some BS about children being called obese. She just got another talking point from someone and ran with it. Shows me she really doesn't work to get context, only spouts crap that someone else told her.

[merh]

11. she's a tool

and I do love my wii, though it was not easy having my trainer tell me how unbalanced and over weight I am.

:silly:

[KoKo]

12. I guess it's the "Wii" Competition putting out this Disinformation..

I have relatives who got the "WII" early on...and they aren't having ANY Problems at all. So, this report makes me suspicious.

[merh]

13. there is nothing to be suspicious about

the Wii requires movement and that can lead to repetition injuries as described in the article.

The same type of injuries that occur when participating in the sports in real life.

[KoKo]

15. One could say that about my 15 year old AirDyne...that I use all the time..

I'm gonna sue them because I had a problem where maybe I wasn't "fit enough" or had some other "impairment" that caused a problem? What about "Carpel Tunnel Syndrome" from Gameing?

It's just some damned competetion who will get the Wall st. Traders to Dump the Stock based on "bad news" where a millionaire is Made before the TRUTH GETS OUT!

[merh]

17. No one said anything about suing

god you have issues, this is just an article talking about injuries related to playing the games, like other sport injuries.

[varkam]

18. I know! And they say that smoking causes lung cancer! *I* haven't gotten lung cancer, so...

therefore cigarettes do not cause lung cancer.

:crazy:

[RB TexLa]

14. Guess the AMA will start lobbying Congress to subsidize them.

[progressivebydesign]

16. Problem is that people playing wii are usually not used to any exercise.

it's been a great thing to get people who were couch potatoes to move around.. unfortunately, they are not in good enough shape to do repetitive motions like that until they build some muscle.

Hell.. this wii thing is hilarious because these same people would be sorer than hell if they suddenly took up real bowling or tennis, or other things like that.

[merh]

19. exactly

and it's great when the kids can't go out to play because of the weather.

[CreekDog]

22. i think it's the repetitive motions rather than being sedentary

with the Wii you are doing things constantly that in a real game you would not do nearly as repetitively.

which means people should stretch, take breaks often, put time limits on their exercises and take it easy on their muscles by not throwing their arms at full strength hundreds of times per game.

[BlooInBloo]

21. You can get injured playing a game for 2 weeks and then never touching it again?

Damn.

[serrano2008]

23. Agree, I'm practically disabled from using my Wii Fit!!!

I hadn't used it for like 3 weeks and then yesterday I did an intense session, and I was so sore I could hardly get up today.

Damn thing is RUINING MY HEALTH!!! We definitely need a "Call To Action" here about video games that use more than just our thumbs.

Who's with me??? :)

[KillCapitalism]

24. Be gentle & don't use too much force with Wii motions.

It really only takes about 1G of force for the Wii sensor bar to pick up decent motions on most games. For example, there's no need to try and swing like Manny Ramirez, or throw like Brad Lidge when playing Wii baseball.

[merh]

27. I'd be happy to be able to bunt

I just can't seem to time my swing - thank god it' only 3 innings

[MrSlayer]

25. This is mainly because the fools think you have do the real motions.

You don't have to swing or throw like a real athlete to play these games. It's just a simple flick of the wrist, you barely have to move at all. It's funny to watch people in a batting stance swinging from their heels at nothing and falling down or twisting their back.

[merh]

26. I've never fallen down.

:silly:

[MrSlayer]

29. LOL!

But seriously, try just sitting down and flicking the remote like you were hitting a drum sideways. Just a little snap of the wrist and you should be hitting 500ft home runs. Same thing with pitching, just hold the remote like it was a drum stick and snap your wrist up and down, don't swing your arm at all. 95 mph fastballs easy. It's basically the same for any of the sports games, the only thing that changes is the position you're holding the remote in.

[merh]

30. actually, my 10 year old niece does that

and it drives me nutts - she needs the exercise. She is just being lazy when she does it that way, I want her to exercise and she just wants to sit there.

;)

[Skittles]

28. pathetic