The wonderful
world of Wii

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

For decades, video games have ranked with fast food and smoking on the hit lists of social critics looking to predict the physical and intellectual decline of America.
Mind-numbing systems like Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox keep kids in the house, rob them of valuable exercise and make them fat, so the argument goes. Eventually, those fat kids become fat adults.
But Dr. John Eshleman doesn’t necessarily buy into all of that gloom and doom.
The Frankford-based family physician and rehabilitative therapist thinks that at least one video-game system has finally turned the corner and can actually be used to improve personal health. In fact, Eshleman is actually using Nintendo’s Wii system as part of a continuum of care at his Transplex Center for Medicine and Rehabilitation at 5303 Frankford Ave.
Like many parents, Eshleman and his wife, Janet, who is a registered nurse and his office manager, bought the game system for their teenage daughter last Christmas.
"We started playing with it and said, ‘This would be great for rehabilitation.’ So we bought another and brought it into the office," Dr. Eshleman said, "and it’s been accepted wonderfully."
Eshleman, a Lancaster native who attended the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, interned at the former Parkview Hospital and has practiced at Frankford Avenue and Bridge Street for 29 years, says that 25 to 30 percent of his therapy patients use Wii in their rehabs.
The doctor treats musculo-skeletal and neurological cases. He sees a lot of victims of occupational injuries, motor-vehicle crashes, other personal injuries and strokes.
That is not to say that patients walk straight from their hospital beds and to a game of Wii bowling, tennis or boxing.
Typically, patients start out with modalities like hot and cold packs and ultrasound treatments in an effort to reduce spasms and pain in the injured body part.
"Once the pain syndrome is under control, we advance to therapeutic exercises," Eshleman said.
The rehab center has all of the equipment one might expect in such a facility, like weight and resistance machines, along with stretching and flexibility devices. The doctor generally introduces the video game about two-thirds of the way through the patient’s rehab process.
"Once someone has entered into the therapeutic exercise stage, this would be an adjunct exercise," he said.
Suzanne Drake, the office care coordinator, was one of the first to test out the device when she began rehabbing from a major hand injury caused by a July 24 auto accident. Drake, a Bridesburg native, dislocated her thumb and tore tendons in the hand.
She underwent surgery to insert a series of pins in the hand and wore a cast for eight weeks. She began therapy in late September with a lot of gripping exercises and other techniques. In January, she started using the Wii.
As for strength and flexibility, the hand is "well into 90 percent" recovered, Eshleman said.
The game system and wide-screen monitor have their own room at one end of the center. The system uses a wireless controller that emits an electronic signal to a motion-sensing device in the main console. As the action unfolds, the user’s physical motions impact the movement of the character on the screen.
As a personal touch, users can create their own "Mii" game characters with individualized appearances.
The primary games include bowling, tennis, baseball, boxing and a guitar simulator. Most patients play standing so that they can mime the real-life motions of the sports.
The games demand controlled motion, flexibility and modest levels of strength and endurance without impact. Users can add a bit of resistance if they choose in the form of wrist and ankle weights. The guitar simulator helps patients with digital dexterity.
"There are things you can do with this that you can’t do with a lot of other equipment because it’s free form," Eshleman said.
The doctor closely supervises game play to advise patients on proper technique.
"Instead of banging away to get the best score, they should have a therapeutic objective in mind," he said. "And they still have fun with it, too."
Fun cannot be underestimated as a valuable asset of the rehabilitation process. If patients enjoy rehab, they’ll be more likely to see it through and to maintain it at home, even after their outpatient visits have concluded.
"There are some people who aren’t as coordinated as others, but as they get involved, they become more coordinated," Eshleman said. "It’s a great inspirational tool for people just to get going with a fitness program."
The doctor isn’t the only one picking up on the benefits of the game system. It’s popping up in other rehab centers, nursing homes, university medical centers and fitness facilities, and been mentioned in physical-therapy journals, he claims.
Health insurance programs that cover therapy generally accept it as a legitimate treatment, too.
"Their main concern is that the therapy is being supervised by licensed professionals," Eshleman said. ••
Call 215-831-8100 for information about the Transplex Center for Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com