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Wii Injuries
Week of February 4 - Bought your kids a Wii this Christmas? Local pediatricians are now warning—the video game that simulates sports is giving kids some real-life injuries. Dr. David Winter tells us more in tonight’s HealthSource report.
SAMANTHA SADLER
“It’s really fun and interactive… you can move around and stuff.”
DR. WINTER
Dancing… boxing… tennis… the games may be fake, but the injuries some kids are suffering while playing the Nintendo Wii aren’t.
SAMANTHA SADLER
“I swung the remote like that and I hit the edge of one of those doors.”
TONY PONCE
X-Ray Technician
Family Medical Center at North Garland
“Injuries I’ve seen—broken fingers, wrist, elbows, neck.”
DR. WINTER
Local hospitals and clinics say they’re seeing more and more Wii players coming in with injuries that could easily be mistaken for those suffered on a playing field.
TONY PONCE
“If kids didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask I would have never known it was a Wii injury… I would have never guessed.”
DR. WINTER
And it’s not just big injuries players are suffering. Swinging and jabbing over and over again can also cause less serious aches and pains that are now so common-- the New England Journal of Medicine has given them a name—‘wii-it is.’
DR. WINTER
Even with a brace on her sprained wrist—Samantha says she’s not putting down her controllers…
SAMANTHA SADLER
“You don’t really want to stop playing if you get really into it.”
DR. WINTER
But she does have some expert advice.
SAMANTHA SADLER
“If you really stand back and spread yourself out in the beginning, it’s a lot less likely for you to get hurt.”
DR. WINTER
For Baylor Health Care System, I’m Dr. David Winter.
ANCHOR TAG
So how do you avoid Wii injuries including ‘Wii-it-tis?’ First of all—pay attention to your surroundings. Many serious injuries occur when players hit nearby objects or other players. And if you develop an overuse injury from playing-- like tendonitis--doctors say the only treatment is rest and ibuprofen.