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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Speare Memorial Hospital (603) 536-1120 |
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April 2 , 2008 |
"WiiHabilitation" Introduced at Speare Memorial Hospital
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| PLYMOUTH, N.H. --- The popularity of Nintendo´s Wii gaming system has already extended beyond teen gamers into the family living room, and is a surprise hit among the 60+ set. Now occupational and physical therapists at Speare Memorial Hospital are using the Wii for rehabilitation patients recovering from strokes, broken bones, "sprains and strains" and surgery. |
| Recent research in the field of rehabilitation medicine has documented the benefit of incorporating modern technology into the art of rehabilitation. The Wii utilizes hand-held motion sensitive controllers to relay the users´ position in space and allow functional movements to engage in sports or activities depicted on a television screen. "Rehab with the Wii is not necessarily like playing in your living room at home though," states H. Dan Dougherty, occupational therapist at Speare Memorial Hospital. "Therapists may add weights to the arms or legs, hone in on a particular functional movement or skill and the technique used by the patients." |
| What is encouraging to therapists is the level of motivation Wii provides for patients to complete their treatment session. "As hard as we try to make therapy sessions interesting, the usual exercises can get boring for a patient," says Dougherty. "The Wii seems to get the patient engrossed in the sport and they forget they are exercising," he adds. Patients can play a range of games such as baseball, tennis, golf, boxing or bowling, each with its own different therapeutic applications. |
| As an adjunct to exercise, the Wii can be used to help improve strength, range of motion, endurance, eye-hand coordination and balance. "Playing may involve side-stepping or lunging, moving the whole arm and/or stabilizing with the trunk of the body to toss a bowling ball or hit the golf ball teed up on the screen," reports Gillian Cavezzali, physical therapist and director of rehabilitation. "Athletes of any age are able to reproduce the movements required in their sport without necessarily having the strain on the body of doing the "real thing". |
| "The games may be virtual," says Cavezzali, "but the physical exertion is very real!" |
| Speare Memorial Hospital´s Rehabilitation Services department is located at 20 Highland Street, in the Citizen´s Bank building, in Plymouth. Most insurance providers cover physical and occupational therapy, but a physician referral is required. For more information contact SMH Rehabilitation Services at 603-238-2228. |
| Speare Memorial Hospital is a 24-hour, acute care, non-profit community hospital and health care provider serving Plymouth, and the communities of central New Hampshire, for more than a century. |
| Michele Barney Hutchins Director of Community Relations Speare Memorial Hospital (603) 238-6468 mhutchins@spearehospital.com |