Australian researchers have found that playing video games on the Nintendo Wii console significantly reduces pain for burn victims.
Associate Professor Dale Edgar from the University of Notre Dame Australia's Burn Injury Research Node saw positive results from a pilot study of 22 participants with burns to around 10% of their body, mainly on their hands. The patients were aged from 16 to 59, with 17 men and five women. In total, 15 had undergone skin grafts.
After playing games on the Nintendo Wii for 20 to 30 minutes per day for one week, the intensity of their pain had reduced by 17%, the study found.
Burns can be treated in several ways, including painkillers, cryotherapy (immersion in a -83°C cold cabin) and hypnotherapy. Maybe now video games can be added to the list.
Burn patients suffer from intense pain because their wounds cause damage to nerves, as well as skin and limbs. "In normal circumstances pain is a protective mechanism for us, in a burn situation that becomes maladaptive, it is a problem because the nerves are not giving you good information, they are just firing willy-nilly," explains Professor Dale Edgar.
Damage to nerve function can cause burn patients to lose the ability to understand where their body is in time and space. They can have trouble doing complex or unusual movements, or may avoid them altogether so as not cause pain.
This led the researchers to consider trying the Nintendo Wii to get patients moving by playing yoga, tennis and boxing games. These activities require hand control and get all the joints in the body moving. Using a console and TV also gave the patients direct feedback about what their body was doing.
According to Professor Dale, repeating these exercises can help give positive feedback to nerves. "We are trying to tell the nerves that they need to tell us where that hand is in space, how it is moving, and to give good positive feedback rather than the negative pain feedback."
Using this type of activity in the treatment of burn victims offers an encouraging means of helping patients get used to movement again.
The team is now testing the XBox with patients to see if it too reduces pain levels.
AFP RELAXNEWS
Sat Jan 23 2016
After gaming on the Nintendo Wii for 20 to 30 minutes per day for one week, the intensity of pain had reduced by 17% for participants in the study. - LoooZaaa/Istock.com
AWANI Pagi: Perang Israel-Iran: Perang alaf baharu?
Diskusi 8.30 pagi Sabtu bersama Jumaat bersama Pakar Hubungan Antarabangsa, Prof Dr. Ahmad Marthada Mohamed mengenai kemungkinan lebih buruk boleh dijangkakan di rantau Asia Barat selepas Israel bertindak melancarkan peluru berpandu dan membedil bandar Isfahan di Iran semalam.
Buang dua ekor itik kerana bimbang nasib malang
Siok Hui meletakkan kedua-dua itik itu dalam sebuah kotak sebelum ditinggalkan di Hutan Simpan Bukit Timah ketika kejadian pada 2020.
Piala FA Inggeris: Status Erling Haaland masih tanda tanya
Pep Guardiola mendedahkan bahawa pemain berusia 23 tahun itu meminta untuk dikeluarkan tanpa memberi alasan yang kukuh.
Anwar hadir selesai kemelut MPN Sabah
Beliau mempengerusikan perjumpaan tersebut yang dipercayai bagi menyelesaikan kemelut politik PKR di negeri ini.
Piala Asia B-23: Vietnam intai peluang benam Malaysia, layak ke suku akhir
Vietnam mencari peluang untuk memastikan slot ke suku akhir Piala Asia B23 apabila berdepan Malaysia malam ini.
AWANI Pagi: Berita tumpuan & menarik di astroawani.com [20 April 2024]
AWANI Pagi bersama Geegee Ahmad & Azib Zikry membincangkan keperluan pengenalan Skim Kemalangan Bukan Bencana Kerja (SKBBK) di mana Presiden Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC), Mohd Effendy Abdul Ghani akan menekankan bahawa langkah proaktif itu adalah untuk melindungi hak-hak pekerja khususnya apabila melibatkan kemalangan jalan raya di luar waktu bekerja.
Lelaki bertindak bakar diri di luar mahkamah New York
Max Azzarello yang berasal dari St. Augustine, Florida, dilaporkan telah diselamatkan dan berada dalam keadaan kritikal.
[TERKINI] Ketua Polis Negara paling lama meninggal dunia
Bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Tun Mohamed Hanif Omar, meninggal dunia pada usia 85 tahun di kediamannya di Shah Alam pada 2.15 pagi Sabtu.
Pasangan suami isteri tidak sangka dua kali tolak tawaran, masih ada rezeki tunai haji tahun ini
Selepas surat tawaran berada di dalam tangan, dia dan isteri giat membuat persiapan demi memastikan mereka memperoleh haji yang mabrur.
Lelaki bertindak bakar diri di luar Mahkamah New York
Seorang lelaki bertindak membakar dirinya di luar mahkamah New York di mana perbicaraan bagi kes bekas presiden Amerika syarikat Donald Trump sedang berjalan