Hospital using Wii for rehab

The more I read about the Wii, the more I think it's next in line for a Nobel prize. Video games started out as a fun way to kill spare time, but Nintendo's latest incarnation has been found to have a variety of ancillary benefits, including helping people burn calories and lose weight.

Most recently, a Canadian hospital has been using the device to treat people with movement and balance issues. By playing the system's virtual sports games, patients who were previously confined to wheelchairs were up and about -- landing punches, swinging golf clubs, or bowling strikes.

It's not as if doctors didn't already have methods for physical rehabilitation, but because these games are so much more fun than older rehab techniques, patients are much more likely to engage in their therapy, and recover quickly.

[via Geeksugar]