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First came Space Invaders wrist in the 1980s characterized by joint pain caused by continuous pushing of the button required to play the popular arcade game. A decade later came ‘Nintendinitis’ or thumb soreness from pushing the controller buttons for extended periods of time without interruption. Today, physicians are seeing an increase in physical injuries caused while playing the popular Nintendo Wii or ‘Wiiitis’ — the latest ailment to come out of the video game era.
Although a majority of Wii accidents cause more damage to your TV screen than your body, some injuries can still send you straight to the emergency room. Here are a few of the reported injuries that you should take precaution against:
Hand bruises and lacerations: Beware of low ceilings, ceiling fans and lighting fixtures and don’t swing your arms too high. Move surrounding furniture to give yourself enough room to maneuver. Finger lacerations have been reported as players collide with glass lighting fixtures overhead. Christina Aguilera bruised her hand when she collided with a nearby table lamp while playing a heated game of Wii Sports Tennis.
Black eyes: Players’ wide swings have been reported to cause injury to others around them that rival boxer-style ‘shiners.’ These injuries are usually not self-inflicted and the biggest culprit is Wii Sports Tennis. Players should identify their playing space before playing and stay within their borders.
Dislocated knee: Most commonly a result of falling off shoes with high heels while playing. Arguably the most preventable ‘injurwii’ of them all.
Shoulder injuries: Soreness most commonly associated with prolonged playing without interruption. Laying off the Wii for awhile and taking Ibuprofen have been successful antidotes for shoulder injuries.
Elbow injuries: Most commonly the result of getting hit with the Wii-mote of another player or colliding into surrounding furniture.
Broken straps: The thin Wii-mote wrist strap frequently breaks under the abuse exerted on it by players. Your best defense is to hold the Wii-mote securely.
TV damage: Plasma screens, which are glass, almost never survive the impact of a thrown Wii-mote. LCD TV damage ranges from dead pixels to areas of dimmer backlighting to no picture at all. Thrown Wii-mote damage is so common that Lcdarm Technology markets an impact resistant TV shield to cover your TV screen while playing Wii games.
While you don’t need full hockey gear to engage in Wii gaming sessions in your own living room, you do need to exercise caution, common sense and moderation to experience health and happiness while using the Wii.
photo by: makelessnoise
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DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
