We think with how connected the world has become, parents are probably doing their best to get kids out of the house. One of the biggest reasons why kids stay indoor is probably due to the constant flow of Call of Duty map packs, but what if video games weren’t used to shoot each other, and instead was used to help children with real medical issues?
The Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C. opened a new pain care complex this week which was built to introduce video games as a way to help young patients eliminate chronic pain. The games are specially designed and combined with Microsoft’s Kinect to help young patients improve their health without realizing it as games ask them to paint, play and exercise while doctors are on hand to analyze their range of motion.
When compared to therapy sessions in a gym, patients who used video games were able to perform a better range of motion and also said they felt a greater distraction from their pain. Data collected from the program will be used to optimize future care as well as help evaluate the success of previous treatments.