Gamers suffer a Wii pain in the neck

PRIOR to December 25, possession of a Nintendo Wii in time for Christmas was as prized as a ticket for a Munster/Wasps decider.

But for some, the triumphant feeling when a Wii was sourced on December 23 has turned into a pyrrhic victory. Dads all over the country are using their offspring’s Nintendo Wii to practice their golf swing, only to injure their shoulder or back.

Forgetting they’re holding a lightweight remote game controller in their hand instead of a conventional golf club, the sitting-room Seves are forcing the shot and putting pressure on their spines. Athlone chiropractor Dr Mary-Helen Hensley has seen a huge influx of patients with Wii injuries in recent weeks.

“When you play golf, there’s a golf club in your hand and you have some sort of weight there, but with the Wii, all you have is a remote control weighing less than half a pound and people are using the same vigour and swing as if they were out on a golf course,” she said.

Dr Hensley recommends a spinal check with a chiropractor for those about to enter a Wii sport regime.

“What seems to be happening is that people are playing this every single day, for a few hours at a time. Then at Christmas, you had people having a few drinks and then jumping on it, which is asking for trouble.”

Yesterday’s Gerry Ryan Show on RTÉ radio heard a plethora of Wii-related injuries, including a woman who broke her teeth while playing 10-pin bowling.

Warm-up: Get real for virtual sport

Chiropractors are recommending a ‘Wii warm-up’ routine for a session of virtual sport.

* Slowly shrug your shoulders to your ears and hold for 2/3 seconds, before relaxing.

* Slowly stretch the wrist backwards, hold for 2/3 seconds, slowly stretch it forwards and hold for 2/3 seconds again.

* With your arm at right angles from the elbow, make a fist and tense it, and then tense the whole arm. Hold for 2/3 seconds, relax and allow your arm to flop to your side.

* To stretch the muscles at the base of the neck, make a double chin and then hold for 2/3 seconds.

Repeat all three times.

* For the back; stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly circle your hips five times to the right, then the left.