Be careful how you Wii over Christmas, fat boy

By Davey Winder
Monday, 22 December 2008 02:47

Entertainment

Doctors are predicting that the number of 'Wii Knee' injuries caused by games consoles could rise over the holiday period. Lazy gits are apparently most at risk.

It has been said before now that the Nintendo Wii can help you lose weight and die, and there have been recent reports of fake Nintendo DS and DS Lite portable consoles with dangerous power adaptors which could cause serious harm.

But now, according to The Telegraph newspaper in the UK, playing virtual sports could be bad for you. Especially, say doctors, if you are not used to exercise.

The predicted Wii Knee epidemic comes as the Wii continues to sell like there is no tomorrow, and introduces people to the concept of mimicking sports actions in order to play the game be it tennis or golf for example.

Doctors warn that over enthusiastic players risk painful sprains and fractures if they play for too long. Researchers from the Leeds medical teaching hospital in the UK say that they have identified one particular injury which they have called Wii Knee.

A representative of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, Richard Milner (a consultant surgeon) told the Telegraph that one patient was treated for a fractured finger caused by playing tennis on the Wii.

Well, to be fair, caused by her partner hitting her in the hand by accident with a Wii remote while playing the tennis game.

Another doctor is quoted as saying he hurt himself trying to hit an ace in the tennis game, and treated a patient for similar tennis finger injury. Oddly enough, no mention of the fabled Wii Knee though.

Is it me or does this all sound a little OTT? I mean, it is a bit like saying that cars are a danger to feet because someone had their toes broken after the wife ran over their foot. Still, better to be safe than sorry, so maybe we should be chugging beer and watching porn this Christmas to avoid injury.