Nintendo's Wii as a therapeutic tool is nothing new, and not even as one to assist stroke patients -- we had several stories in the past couple of years on this very subject in fact (ex. 1, 2, 3), perhaps the most interesting regarding semi-pro tennis player Jerry Pope. Following his stroke and new inability to play his favourite sport, Pope did not want to do the regular, boring exercises that would (hopefully) lead to his eventual recovery, so his doctor, hearing of what wonders the Wii could work, got his patient playing, which ended up being a major component in helping him get better.

A stroke, if you do not know much about it, is when blood to part of the brain is cut off, resulting in brain damage, and sometimes death (67,000 of these each year in the UK). If the person survives, the road to recovery is long, and not all make it, about one-third -- more than 300,000 in the region currently and over 150,000 per year -- are left with disabilities such as paralysis, inability to speak or move limbs properly.

England's Winson Green City Hospital, located in Birmingham, is another spot on board with the progressive therapy the Wii offers, its staff having discovered it indeed works to help strengthen limbs and get them moving again, and of course is much more fun than the standard therapies. The results so far are described as "startling."

“Using the Wii is safe for the patients and it also accesses certain parts of the central nervous system,” Peter Harding, consultant physiotherapist, said.

“Previously we used a mirror in front of patients but this is more interesting,” commented advanced physiotherapist Cameron Lindsay. “It gets the patients more involved and offers instant feedback. Tennis and bowling are the main games we’ve been using and it’s amazing how fast people pick it up. Within five minutes they’ve got the hang of it.”

City Hospital has been using the console since December with one patient, Alan Perkins, having been all over it since it launched. Says Perkins:

“It is my left-hand side I have problems with, so they got me using my left hand and it’s brilliant. It’s great for my hips and it got me off the bars.”

Reportedly, elderly people's homes throughout the area have started using the Wii to keep residents active and in shape.

For those who care to learn more about the experience of a stroke, we highly recommending watching the video below from brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor, who suffered one many years ago and managed to chronicle the process. Taylor took eight long years to recover, and has been spreading some very positive messages learned from her arduous journey ever since.