In 2007, we saw an interesting therapy trend. In late 2006, Nintendo released the Wii, a freestanding video-gaming system that has taken its industry by storm. The Wii features no wires attached to its console and allows for free movement of arms and legs to play the games. The system changed the very sedentary lifestyle of video-game playing.

Interestingly, it was not just teenagers or video-game enthusiasts who embraced the Wii technology—rehabilitation professionals saw the Wii's potential power in therapy treatments.

For example, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, used Wii games such as tennis and boxing to help injured soldiers increase range-of-motion. To gauge patients' improvements, the games are connected to medical equipment, such as a clinical biometric machine. The machine measures wrist strength for skiing games and hand motion (including twisting and training) for basketball games. The games also help patients with basic motor skills and assist in relearning everyday tasks. As of summer 2007, Walter Reed had treated nearly 6,000 patients using the Wii games as part of their physical therapy regimen, including 478 amputees.¹

What does this say about the evolving nature of the physical therapy industry? I believe it shows that diversity in products used for treatment is staring PTs in the face. When I first became editor of Physical Therapy Products, many PTs who I met at my first few tradeshows told me that PTs were slow to embrace new technologies. I have a hard time believing that this is still true. With technologies such as the Wii—which is not produced solely for the physical therapy market—becoming a part of the products used in treatment, PTs and other rehabilitation professionals are having to quickly learn about and adopt new technologies into their practice.

Physical Therapy Products' 2008 Buyer's Guide aims to assist PTs with the purchasing decisions they will need to make to empower their practices throughout the year with new products and technology. It provides comprehensive, easy-to-reference listings of companies and products within the physical therapy industry. Please let us know how we can make it even more useful for you in the future.

Arati Murti

Reference

1. Zyga L. The healing power of Wii. Available at: www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2170784,00.asp. Accessed November 27, 2007.