Wii Can Help Burn Victims

Using the Wii helps bring back flexibility – and it also makes physio an enjoyable experience.

Somewhere in hospitals in the South East of England, people are playing games on a Wii. No, they’re not skipping work. It’s actually part oftheir physiotherapy treatment.   Spending time on a Wii has proved to be very beneficial to recovering after treatment for burns. The sports games, which involve the full body, encourage moreflexibility, and help patients recover full use of their hands after a skin graft.   According to a BBC report, it’s not only very effective, but patients genuinely love coming for thephysio.   Maureen Adams, head of therapy at Queen Victoria NHS Foundation Trust in East Grinstead, said,   "Using the Wii is a way of significantlyimproving movement, while not seeing the activity as therapy, which helps motivate them. Wii can also be done at home, so patients are able to continue their own personal therapies."   TheWii has been used in the US and elsewhere to aid stroke victims in their rehabilitation, and at least one care home offers it as an activity for residents. But East Grinstead seems to be the firstreal investigation of using the consoles – which were donated to them – to help burns victims.