It may be surprising to see video games being a part of the medical recovery process, but when it's Wii Fit assisting patients who have experienced concussions, it makes complete sense.
The Ohio State University Waxner Medical Center has asked patients to play social media-themed games as well as exercise games that utilize the Wii Balance Board, particularly the yoga exercises. Athletic trainer Tamerah Hunt, Ph.D., explains how useful Wii Fit has been:
Basically, we’ve taken some of the motion sensing tools that are built into the video game system, adjusted them, and are now using them for concussion assessment. We are able to analyze their lateral sway, anterior sway and center of gravity to better determine when an athlete is more fully recovered from a concussion.We’re currently using the single leg stance, double-leg and tandem stances for our assessment, and we’ve been able to quantify the same numbers repeatedly, so we can really chart their progress with confidence.
The real benefit of using Wii Fit for the hospital is that it replaces heavy, sophistical machinery that cost "tens of thousand of dollars per unit". Wii Fit is portable, is far more affordable, and engaging for patients, especially athletes, who would rather play a video game than perform just another concussion test. Doctors are also able to track the patients better at every step of their recovery.
