wiiitis
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This year's fashionable Wii injury: Wii knee
'Tis the season when people buy a lot of Wiis, which can mean only one thing: a 29,392% increase in ridiculous Wii scare stories from British newspapers. Over the last few days, in a bid to squeeze a story from thin air, at least two UK publications featured articles about how playing on a Wii can cause physical damage to users; you know, in the same way that any physical motion whatsoever could conceivably hurt somebody, somewhere. The Daily Telegraph was first off the mark over the weekend, describing how brilliant young doctors at Leeds Teaching Hospital have "discovered" what they call "Wii knee." Alas, this exciting development for medical science isn't actually mentioned beyond its name, because all of a sudden the newspaper is too busy getting a scary quote from a hand doctor (eh?). Not to be outdone, The Sun followed up today with its own piss-poor take on the WII IZ THE END TIMES angle, pointing out that ten Brits are hospitalized through Wii injuries each week. It then wheels out that 2007 favorite, "Wii-itis"/"Wii-itus" (choose your own spelling -- The Sun couldn't), before also referring to Wii knee, all while I weep for my once-proud nation. Source: The Telegraph kicks things off ...Source: ... and The Sun follows.
Wiiitis captured, explained by MRI
As gamers, there aren't that many times that we can try to cop a macho attitude and tell a cohort to tough it out. Maybe at a chilly overnight console launch and (in some extreme cases) after a DDR tournament. But chief on that list is injuries sustained from Wiimotes. ... Oh, not you, sweetheart, we totally believe you. We're talking about ... Wiiitis.Now, much to our chagrin, it seems the affliction has actually been documented by MRI in the May issue of the journal Skeletal Radiology. Apparently, the problem is "awkward deceleration forces," which sounds plausible enough to us, considering our entire medical knowledge comes from Trauma Center. And now, Joystiq's Putting It All In Perspective Theater:Ethiopian: Excuse me America, could you please spare more of your medical technology to help our country?America: Gee, I'd love to Afeworki, but we've got some serious health problems over here we have to deal with first.Ethiopian: What do you mean? We're dying!America: Well, I don't expect your primitive brain to understand, but sometimes we play video games so hard that it requires immediate medical attention.Ethiopian: [Dies.]
Pro darts player blames poor performance on Wii
It's been a rollercoaster few days for professional darts player James Wade. In the kind of Wii-related story the mainstream press totally laps up, Wade got a Wii from Santa, and spent Christmas Day throwing haymakers and uppercuts in the boxing game that comes with Wii Sports. All of which was great fun, we imagine, if not exactly the perfect build-up for a PDC World Darts Championship match the very next day. Fortunately, Wade eked out a narrow victory, though confessed that he had lacked "his usual suppleness," and put it down to his encounter with Wii boxing.In its report, the Telegraph describes the Wii-induced injury as a "worrying first," though they clearly haven't heard about Wii elbow, or the one about the baseball player and Guitar Hero. The message is clear then, kids: do your stretches![Via Codename Revolution]
PSA: excessive Wii use could lead to 'Wiiitis'
Wii injuries, often dubbed "wiinjuries," have been noted since the console's launch, but now one doctor has decided to give the tennis elbow-like symptoms caused by excessive Wii play an official medical diagnosis: Acute Wiiitis.The condition, pronounced "wee-i-tis," was named by Dr. Julio Bonis, who suffered from the ailment from playing hours of Wii Sports. Bonis' findings were published (subscription required) in the New England Journal of Medicine and later reported by CNN.Acute Wiiitis can reportedly (and thankfully) be treated by taking ibuprofen for a week and also a week-long break from using the Wii remote, but warning: it's best advised to treat it soon or the long-term ramifications could be dire.[Via Engadget; thanks, Dave Jurcevic and Zoot Suit Jedi]
Wiiitis on the rise with Wii players, reports doctor
We've officially got a new gadget-related medical term on our hands people, coined by Dr. Julio Bonis, who woke up one morning and realized his Wii was causing him sports-injury like symptoms. Wiiitis is the name (yes, it's different from Nintendinitis), learn it well. Although it's only good for categorizing one specific type of Wii-related bodily injury, it has been canonized in a letter published by the New England Journal of Medicine, Unfortunately, the treatment may be worse than the disease for some: Bonis prescribed "ibuprofen for one week, as well as complete abstinence from playing Wii video games". Just think of it as a chance to play with your BlackBerry, get in some time with your iPod, make some calls on your high SAR cellphone, or generally geek out with other portable electronics. Hey, doctor's orders.[Thanks, Neil and Josh]Read - CNNRead - NEMJ [Warning: subscription req'd]
The Wii elbow returns
In a ridiculous labeling of a "medical condition," not to mention the ridiculous nature of placing an unnecessary amount of vowels next to each other in one lone word, Reuters is reporting that "Wiiitis" hath returned. At least, according to Dr. Julio Bonis who, upon waking one recent Sunday morning, found he had a sore shoulder. Thinking back upon his recent activity, Bonis could only isolate one thing in his life that he had spent numerous hours doing: Wiiing playing with his Nintendo Wii."What convinced me to send the case report was that a friend of mine, after playing 'Wii Sports' suffered from a similar complaint," Bonis explained. Although they are little to no documented cases (really?!), Bonis still thinks it's something affecting those who've been playing the console quite a bit. "I have not found other cases in my clinical practice, but it is probably an underdiagnosed condition." Well, we probably wouldn't agree, Doc.But, what about you readers?
