Q: My husband and I play our Wii video games for bowling and tennis almost daily and sometimes our shoulders really hurt afterwards. Do we need to worry about long-term effects of Wii gaming?
A: As with any physical activity, overdoing it when playing the Wii can lead to injuries. If you’re experiencing pain during or after a game, you’re probably playing too long. Moderation is the key.
The Wii video game system can be a fun way to stay active. But, at Mayo Clinic, we’ve seen a variety of injuries related to the Wii. In some cases, they involve injuries that occur when players don’t secure the hand-held controllers to their wrists properly and accidently throw them, injuring another person.
More common, however, are overuse injuries, which have adopted the term “Wii-it is.” These injuries are similar to those you might develop if you were playing the live sport. For example, in tennis players we may see overuse injuries such as tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) or shoulder pain (rotator cuff tendonitis). The injuries seen in Wii tennis follow the same pattern.
Interestingly, there tend to be differences in the mechanism of injury caused by Wii play. Unlike going out and playing tennis or golf, there is no resistance when you play those games on the Wii. For example, in tennis when you hit the ball, the force of the impact slows your arm. When you’re playing tennis on the Wii, you just swing through air. This lack of resistance can cause extra strain (eccentric contractions) on your muscles, which can lead to additional injuries, such as muscle strains and occasionally muscle tears. It can also cause delayed onset muscle soreness, which you and your husband may be experiencing.
The Wii games are also unique in players’ overall duration of activity as compared to live sports. To go back to the tennis example, if you are fit and play tennis regularly, after you’re out on the court for about 45 minutes to an hour, you may start to get tired and adjust your activity or take a break accordingly. Fatigue may actually be a protective mechanism against overuse injuries.
However, the Wii tennis game doesn’t require you to be as active, so you may play it much longer — some people play for hours. This can increase your chances of developing an overuse injury. In addition, you may be using muscles that aren’t well conditioned, which also raises your risk for ijuries.
The best way to prevent overuse injuries is to play the Wii in moderation: 20 to 30 minutes at a time is reasonable. If you start to feel pain, stop playing for a while. Also, built into the Wii are messages that pop-up intermittently asking you if you’d like to take a break. Watch for those. They only appear if you have been playing for quite some time. So if you see one of those messages, it’s likely time to do something else.
If you’re experiencing soreness or other symptoms of an overuse injury, there are some simple self-care steps you can take. Decrease your activity level, take an over-the-counter pain reliever, and ice the affected area for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
If the pain doesn’t go away within a few days, see your doctor. Some overuse injuries require more formal treatment, such as physical therapy. A physical therapist can offer treatment to reduce inflammation, teach you the proper technique for these activities, and show you stretching exercises that may help prevent another injury in the future.
In general, try the simple measures mentioned above and see your doctor, if needed.
