Video Games and Therapy: Another Look

This week, my blog post is directed at commenting on two other blog posts from outside blogs. The two posts explore outside uses for video game technology by applying it into physical therapy. As a potential future physical therapist, this is a very important new topic as it may one day become a standard in physical therapy practice. I wanted to explore the blogosphere to find out what is being said about the concept of combining physical rehabilitation with technology that is generally used for pleasure and entertainment. In the first blog post, the author discussed how an engineering science student developed a physical therapy video game through a system which incorporates a modified Play Station 2 video game console, which was being used to help a young girl who suffers from hemiplegic cerebral palsy physically rehabilitate. The author of the second blog post explored the potential uses of the new video game system, the Nintendo Wii, which included weight loss and physical therapy. You can either follow the links to the original posts to see my comments or continue reading.

Comment on "Game Tech Proves Therapeutic for Young Girl":

The device created by William Li is not only remarkable, but I believe it holds a strong future in terms of being applied into physical therapy programs. In my research of the topic, there are similar machines all across the world being built and tested successfully. In Megan Sherwin’s case, nothing is more important than for her to keep her left arm and hand moving. The method that was proposed of putting her right arm and hand in a cast to encourage movement in the left is preposterous. That would basically immobilize the young girl since that is her only strong side that she uses to perform all her daily functions. The option of having the young girl perform therapy by playing a video game is probably much more appealing both to the girl and her family. This allows the girl to perform all her daily functions by using her strong side, while rehabilitating her weak side. This is a huge benefit to the device created by William Li and devices like it; it opens doors to new and exciting ways in which physical therapy can be approached.

Comment on "Is the Wii Really Good for Your Health?":

I believe it is very important to not downplay the Nintendo Wii’s fitness and therapy potential. The physical movement and exertion that the Wii provides should be looked upon as a benefit rather than a nuisance. The system’s design, which puts the user’s movements at the control of whatever they are playing, allows it to easily be adopted into a physical therapy setting. Although this advantage is mentioned in the post, I think it is important to recognize the far reaching benefits. In the future, physical therapists can come together with game developers and create video games for the Wii that are targeted at various physical therapy exercises. Because of the Wii’s popularity, the Wii has already found itself in millions of people’s households. Combining the fact that the Wii is already set up to be controlled by user’s motion and that it is very widespread among households really opens the door and makes it possible for a physical therapy application in the near future. The system does not have to be modified; the only thing that has to be done is that a game needs to be made. It is amazing to think that one day your physical therapist can actually prescribe you to play a video game on your Wii as part of your physical therapy!