Nov 6, 2007 7:31 pm US/Eastern
Video Games Are Physical Therapy At One Hospital
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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The video games help with spinal injuries.
CBS
As the holidays draw near, so does Kennedy Krieger's Festival of Trees.
As
Gigi Barnett reports, the hospital got a special donation Tuesday.
Spares, knockouts and scores all add up to big points during some video game action with friends. But at Kennedy Kreiger's Intenational Center for Spinal Cord Injuries, it's physical therapy.
"It's normal for the kids and for the kids who aren't able to move their arms or shoulders, it's a great place to start," said senior occupational therapist Rebecca Martin.
But competition jumps to new levels when the man to beat is Baltimore Ravens linebacker Bart Scott.
"Y'all have turned the competitive juices on. It's on," Scott said.
Eight-year-old Morgan Dunnigan has the Wii at home for round-the-clock practice.
"I play my mom, I play my dad, I play my cousin," Dunnigan said.
Scott comes once a month to the center for some game time. This time, he donated a Wii entertainment system to the center.
"It's a tough thing to come here and talk to kids who are in that situation because your heart goes out to them," he said.
The Wii is what physical therapists prefer because it features bowling, golfing and boxing. That causes patients to make big hand movements that strengthen the spine.
Donations like Scott's come just a few weeks before one of Kennedy Kreiger's biggest fundraiser, the Festival of Trees, which is also part of WJZ's continued community commitment.
"They're receiving their therapy and getting a great workout without even recognizing it," Scott said.
As part of our continued community commitment, WJZ is a proud sponsor of the holiday festival, which begins on Friday, Nov. 23 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 25 at the Timonium Fairgrounds.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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