Physiotherapy for Children Using Wiihabilitation

During the Criança (child) 2010 – Third Congress of Pediatric Specialties, Curitiba (Brazil),  
 
The highlight of this year’s congressional meeting was the use of Wiihabilitation (physical therapy that uses the Wii from Nintendo)  Wiihabilitation has effectively treated diseases and conditions such as: obesity, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc. . .  The games enable the child to work on coordination, cardiorespiratory fitness, balance, stretching, improve their concentration, and stimulate brain activity.
 
The system is not like other game systems as it detects movement in three dimensions (3D) by means of a control sensor.  Thus, the movements made by the individual becomes the same as seen on the screen.  The congress was sponsored by the Hospital Pequeno Príncipe, and was attended by more than 30 foreign speakers and hundreds of experts from different states.
The forerunner of this system in Brazil, Fernando Vanderlinde, one of the most respected researchers and developers of game systems for health, has taught courses around Brazil and Europe and deployed this system in physiotherapy, with effective responses to various treatments.
 
“Wii, made by Nintendo, has been appointed as one of the most effective gaming systems for therapeuic uses and therefore, has been incorporated into rehabilitation offered in major American and European medical centers.  The Wii, handled with a wireless controller, requires the patient to perform movements similar to those practiced in the sessions of physiotherapy,” Vanderlinde said.
 
This new system has proven effective in several areas of rehabilitation showing undeniable progress.  By stimulating brain activity, positive adaptations such as muscle strengthening, improved concentration capacity, balance, and motor coordination the Wii greatly increases the physiotherapy’s outcome.  Canada has been experimenting with the Wii for nearly 10 years with excellent results in the rehabilitation process for people of all ages.
For more about Game Therapy in Brazil:
Article Written by:
FERNANDA CON’ANDRA – at www.saudee.net and translated by Fernado Vanderlinde
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Published on Nov 17, 2010
Author: FernandoVanderlinde
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Thanks for joining as a contributor, Fernando. Exciting to have Brazil represented on the PT Project!

posted by AdamBanks on 11.17.10 at 9:32 am

Thank you Adam!
Is great to be part of PT Project.
I will try to send news about what we doing here.
And learn something with all that great people from PT Project.

posted by FernandoVanderlinde on 11.17.10 at 9:55 am

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