SIDEBAR: Earlier this year, an occupational therapist in Alberta, Canada began using Nintendo's Wii system to help patients regain movement and balance after debilitating injuries. The idea might be catching on, given that an Ohio hospital has followed suit, Reuters reports today.

　　After hearing of the Alberta hospital's experiment with using the Wii to aid physical therapy patients, an occupational therapist at the Ohio State University Medical Center's Dodd Hall Rehabilitation Hospital tried the system out at a friend's house. He determined that the console and its motion-sensing controller could help patients improve balance, endurance, coordination, and strength.

　　Patients at Dodd Hall typically undergo two or three half-hour Wii sessions a week, as part of a regimen that includes about three hours of physical therapy each day. The Wii play isn't a substitute for traditional therapy, but it can provide more incentive for patients to work at their recovery.

　　A 51-year-old stroke victim told the news service that the Wii rehab is more fun and gets him to push himself harder. Three weeks after his stroke, the patient is beginning to regain use of his immobilized right side, and has two goals in mind: getting home for Christmas, and finding a Wii in stores once he does.