Wii Right, Wrist-Wise

February 18, 2009, Shiek Abdullah, Senior Physiotherapist

Wii Gamers often complain about wrist injuries. Here are some exercises and holding technique that Wii gamers can follow to better protect themselves from Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI).

Hold the Wii-mote in Neutral

Holding the wii-mote in a non-neutral position with the wrist slightly bent can cause a strain. (See DeQuervain’s Syndrome). The better way to hold the wii-mote is in a neutral position.

Wrist Position
In Ulnar Deviation	In Neutral Position

Strengthen the Wrist

With the wrist in the right position, we need to look at improving the strength of the muscles supporting the wrist. Given the long periods of time that the wii-mote tends to be in use, the muscles must have both the strength and endurance to properly support the wrist. Below are some exercises that are specifically designed to improve these wrist muscles. Click on the image for a larger view.

1. Wrist Flexors Stretch
2. Wrist Extensors Stretch
3. Extensors Strenghtening	Start	End
4. Radial Deviators Strengthening	Start	End
5. Flexors Strengthening	Start	End

This work by Musculoskeletal Consumer Review is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Singapore License. This article was contributed by Back2Sports - Sports Injury Management. In the spirit of promoting health education, you may copy, distribute and transmit the work under the conditions specified by the license. For articles re-printed with permission, copyright remains with the original copyright holder (author or publisher). MCR's Creative Commons License does not apply in such cases.