Wii Fit fun, but pace yourself, doctors warn

A sports medicine doctor from Mount Sinai in New York is warning video-game players, parents and their doctors to watch for Nintendo Wii Fit injuries now that the video-game giant has released its latest add-on to the wildly popular Nintendo Wii.

Mark Klion, a sports medicine specialist with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedics, says the Wii's downside will be magnified with the Nintendo Wii Fit, which went on sale May 19.

"It certainly is very intriguing," Klion said. "But as I've told people, this will never replace physical exercise both psychologically and physically. OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1') <a href="http://gcirm.azcentral.gcion.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/04/20080604ev-wiifit0604.html/1182733254/ArticleFlex_1/OasDefault/st_lukes_bridges_news_160A/bridges-160.html/34333562633865323438343730613530?http://www.bridgesaz.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://gcirm.azcentral.gcion.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/OasDefault/st_lukes_bridges_news_160A/" alt="Click Here" border=0></a>

"Throwing a ball virtually is not the same as throwing it outside in the grass."

Klion said he has played the Wii with his three children, ages 9, 6 and 3.

"We've also treated patients with what we deem are Wii injuries," he said.

Those injuries include muscle strains, rotator cuff shoulder damage and other problems, especially in the upper body, said Earl Feng, an orthopedic surgeon with offices in Mesa and Tempe.

"We see it periodically with overuse," Feng said, adding that his 8-year-old son has even developed short-lived injuries from the game.

"As when beginning any new physical activity, it's best to check in with your doctor and ease into the activity," Eric Walter, public relations manager for Nintendo of America, said in a written statement. "Health and safety guidelines are spelled out in the Wii Fit manual, and the in-game trainer gives clear demonstrations of each activity before it is performed."

The Wii uses a handheld remote controller that sends signals to a video screen as players go through the motions of computer games.

Bowling requires players to roll a bowling ball down a virtual alley by swinging the controller and pressing a button at the right moment. Tennis is played by using the controller to smack a tennis ball as it comes across a virtual tennis court. Playing baseball involves swinging the controller to simulate the movement of a baseball player at bat.

But it's the virtual boxing game played against a virtual opponent that proves to make most Wii players break a sweat and strain upper-back muscles.

"How many activities in daily life do you do where you stand up in that position and throw punches?" asked Mount Sinai's Klion. "That's a setup for an overuse injury."

The Wii Fit also may set up players for new injuries, he said.

The new game takes players through the paces of doing push-ups, balancing on one leg in a yoga tree pose, head-butting a soccer ball, swiveling a hoop around the hips.

Doctors, however, are warning that newcomers to exercise and even those who are in shape should take the Wii Fit in small doses or risk injury.

"Mostly, it's the parents of kids who have the Wii," Klion said. "Suddenly, someone who's relatively inactive, who plays for one hour, is on the tennis court and hits 1,000 balls in one session.

"The ball gets thrown to you rapid fire, and you can, in rapid fire, get a repetitive motion injury in the shoulder, elbow and wrist injuries."

The Wii has become popular at senior centers and in assisted living recreation rooms. Scottsdale's Pueblo Norte has a Wii that has become a hit at the retirement home.

Klion said even those with limited abilities can try the Wii as long as they're careful and listen to their bodies.

"Now you can take someone who is wheelchair-bound who would like to have that competitive experience, and that could be invaluable," he said.

So far, accidents from the Wii have included players who accidentally let go of the remote, crashing it into a big-screen television.

Nintendo agreed last month to place a warning on its new Wii Fit game because a British girl was upset by the game labeling her "fat" because her body-mass index was higher than suggested for her age.

"You have to put everything in perspective," Klion said, adding that the number of injuries he's treated has tapered off since the Wii hit the market in the fall.

"The bottom line is that they (Nintendo) might put a disclaimer on its systems that maybe you should limit your use until you feel comfortable playing the game."