Wii = We induce injury!

CLIFTON PARK (Feb. 3) — Our electronics have become more and more advanced with the coming generations. This is a good change from the past “boring” fun stuff, such as boardgames, playing outside and movies. Technological advances are supposed to make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Nintendo has always done a good job of this by bringing our outdoor activities — running, jumping, playing, sports — inside the comforts of our homes.

Antonio Marotta D.C.Nintendo has been a little bit different from arcade machines, Sega, Atari and the like. Even back in the ’80s it had a Wii Fit; they only called it something different. Remember the Power Pad?

This was Nintendo’s attempt to get kids and family more active in their gaming experience. The company also had the Power Glove (we all remember Adventures in Babysitting), the Duck Hunt Gun, Gyromite and more.

Nowadays we have the Nintendo Wii. This thing is pretty cool. It helps you stay fit, get some exercise, do yoga, find your body mass index, play sports like baseball and boxing, and it even lets you play games.

But what about the warnings? Did you know the Wii warns you when you play for an extended amount of time? It warns you to take a break. The newest thing in video games is getting hurt.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the idea of video games being more interactive and getting you to move instead of just vegging on the couch. But who thought we would have to be careful not to hurt ourselves while playing.

What to do to avoid injury:

  • Take the Wii’s advice and take breaks every 20-60 minutes.
  • If you’re going to play, play right. Be cognizant of your “gaming ergonomics.” Try not to overextend, stretch your arms out to far, over do certain motions and get a repetitive motion injury (which is the most common Wii Induced injury and usually causes wrist, arm and shoulder pain).

Is the Nintendo Wii the only one? Do you know what the other injury-causing toy is? How about the Apple IPhone/Ipod Touch?

Often playing games or using certain apps can cause chronic overuse syndromes in your wrist, hand, fingers, arm and even your neck. Tendonitis is common along with numbness and tingling in the arm, hand, and fingers. Visual dysfunction can arise from staring at the tiny screen, and headaches/neck pain are quite common from having your neck bent forward for extended periods of time.

The iPhone and the iPod Touch are awesome. They are the future and make information available literally at our fingertips, but we still need to be careful about using them.

Same things to avoid for the Wii go for the Apple devices, but you also need to keep your arms out in front of you with your head and neck straight. This will avoid tightening of the muscles in your arms and hand and the back of your neck.

What can you do if you already have a Wii/IPhone induced injury? The first thing to address would be the cause of the pain. (Pain is nothing more than a symptom of something more serious.) Evaluate your gaming ergonomics and make appropriate changes. And take a break.

Tightening of the muscles in the arms, hands and neck can cause inflammation, pain and irritation to the nerves going to your head and hands. That can lead to headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, numbness, tingling and more. This tightness can cause the joints in the neck and arms to become stiff and cause more problems. These are all physical problems (as opposed to a chemical problem such as a vitamin deficiency).

Many times the cause of pain is something physical in nature, and therefore responds to a physical medicine such as chiropractic care. Chiropractic care is more than just “cracking bones.”

Chiropractic helps to:

  • Realign the formation of scar tissue, so that it does not impede proper joint/muscle movement;
  • Restore normal movement and function to your joints and muscles;
  • Provide neurological stimulus which in turn stops the pain cycle and induce your immune response (healing);
  • And much more.

Often times people who undergo chiropractic treatment get great results in little time. Their pain decreases, their range of motion increases, their muscular tension diminishes, their immune system gets stronger, and they feel great.

Antonio Marotta D.C. is a Clifton Park chiropractor.

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