Informative Essay On Occupational Therapy

Tell a therapy client that you want to work on their balance and endurance with some exercises, and you are likely to get an eye roll. People are no longer interested in doing things the old fashioned way. The United States has very much become an “instant gratification” society, and most everything we do involves computers or some form of technology. Occupational Therapy is moving right along side this trend in the way patient’s therapies are conducted. What was originally developed as a game for fun and leisure is quickly becoming a sought after tool for Occupational Therapists to get their clients moving and making forward progress. The Nintendo Wii Fit Balance Board has shown success in helping patients regain strength and endurance,

The “board” is actually a 20 inch by 13 inch padded mat which you stand on that is placed on the floor in front of your television, and connected to your Wii console. The mat is 3 inches in height and filled with sensors that can recognize pressure points and calculate your movements based on weight distribution. The object of the Balance Board games are to mimic the movements on the television screen, or to react to the environment simulated on the screen for you. The player holds a controller in their hand to activate the movements on the screen. In certain games, an avatar of sorts is shown on the screen to represent the player. Players receive a score based upon their movements and reaction times in relation to the screen. For around $200.00, the Wii Fit Balance Board (console included) can serve as a fun, cost effective way to help patients work on their balance and endurance levels to lessen the risk of

Sports medicine has embraced its use for injury rehabilitation and conditioning. When standing on the Balance Board, a person’s sway back and forth and side to side is measured by the sensors, along with the body’s center of pressure, or point of balance. This information can be used to assess any changes in balance, and determine whether one side or the other is being favored by the patient. There is an assumption that equal weight distribution between the left and right sides in optimum for best performance (Goble, Cone & Fling,