Web MD: the Wiimote is actually a double-edged sword

We've all seen the videos on YouTube and read the stories. Injuries caused by overzealous game players getting hurt by way of the Wiimote are nothing new to any of us. However, getting your very own medical term coined after you just might be. In a story that is just too ironic to be true, WebMD tells the tale of a 29-year old medical student (that should have known better) who wakes up to find a bad case of Wiitis in his shoulder.

The culprit? He just purchased a Wii, and had spent several hours the day before playing tennis -- courtesy of Nintendo. Here is what the good doctor, Julio Bonis, had to say about the whole situation:

“If a player gets too engrossed, he may ‘play tennis’ for many hours. Unlike in the real sport, physical strength and endurance are not limiting factors.

With the growing use of this new video game system, the risk of the Wiiitis variant may be higher than that of Nintendinitis reported in the literature, especially among adults. Physicians should be aware that there may be multiple, possibly puzzling presentations of Wiiitis.”

I'm still trying to figure out whatever happened to exercising a little bit of common sense and restraint. I can understand a child getting a bit carried away with Nintendo's joybox, but a medical student? How could such a benign-looking console cause so much pain? We haven't heard of this many people getting hurt from something they enjoy since the advent of Internet porn, hot candle wax, and duct tape.

[Via WebMD]