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Wii-hab boosts Parkinson's treatments
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Nintendo has been sneaking exercise into their consoles for years. With the advent of the Wii and its games like Wii Sports and, of course, the Wii Fit, video games have slowly been growing into something much more active. Nintendo has even created a pedometer for a new version of Pokémon DS. However, scientists are taking the idea of active video games to a new level, using Wii Sports as a unique treatment for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Much to this writer’s delight, the therapy is gaining notoriety under the name of Wii-hab.
Presented at the fifth annual Games for Health Conference, researchers from the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) showed how just four weeks of play exacted marked improvements in patients suffering from Parkinson’s at varying degrees of severity. Using games that require finesse in bilateral movement, eye-hand coordination, and figure-ground relationship is an ideal way to help a person afflicted with a disease that impairs motor skills. Playing rounds of Wii tennis, bowling, and boxing three times a week for a month was all the longer it took to see changes.
Dr. Ben Hertz, a director of Occupational Therapy at MCG, explained that “participants showed significant improvements in rigidity, movement, fine motor skills and energy levels. Perhaps most impressively, most participants' depression levels decreased to zero.” [MCG] Depression is a major impact factor in Parkinson’s, with at least half of the patients reporting the mental illness.
No neurological studies have been done to solidify the reasons behind the improvement. However, Hertz believes that the combination of exercise and video games helps boost dopamine levels, a neurotransmitter that is severely deficient in Parkinson’s disease. That is the motivation behind using the Wii over another video game system; Wii requires whole-body movement instead of the simple isolated finger movements on a traditional controller.
Expect more results from the new Wii-hab movement. Hertz’s next plan is to investigate the effects of Wii Fit on Parkinson’s with the help of a $45,000 grant from the National Parkinson’s Foundation. "Game systems are the future of rehab," Dr. Herz said. "About 60 percent of the study participants decided to buy a Wii for themselves. That speaks volumes for how this made them feel." [MCG]
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