Following surgery for a degenerative joint disorder that resulted in nerve damage to his right arm, 21-year-old Carmichael resident Matthew Reece wasn’t sure what was in store for him.

“I could barely move my arm at all. ... When I first got to the rehab center, I didn’t have a lot of answers (about) my arm and there wasn’t much in the way of prognosis,” he said.

But lucky for Reece, he was transferred to Kaiser-Vallejo, where staff there grant rehabilitation patients access to an unlikely therapy tool — a Nintendo Wii.  

As it turns out, the Wii, a recreational video game system prized by millions of children, teens and adults, is making its way into American hospitals to foster rehab patients’ range of motion, core body strength, hand-eye coordination and more, according to Gina Biter-Mundt, an adaptive sports consultant at Kaiser-Vallejo.

Here’s how it works: The game’s wireless, hand-held remote detects players’ movements, translating them to identical motions on the game screen. For a game of baseball, players swing the remote control as if it were the bat itself.

Donated by a former Kaiser patient to Kaiser-Vallejo’s rehabilitation center in May, the system is taking the edge off rehab patients’ labor-intensive, traditional therapy sessions, she said.

Reece, who said he logged three hours of physical therapy each day throughout his stay at Kaiser, added that the often-intense standard therapy sessions typically consist of walking and range-of-motion exercises, stretches, strength-building moves and more.

After these sessions, Reece said, he and other patients looked forward to spending time together and putting the Wii to good use. While providing a social outlet and fostering patient camaraderie, the sessions of Wii baseball, bowling and tennis also sharpen patients’ dexterity and build core strength. The Wii system can accommodate as many as four players, Reece added.  

Reece, who admitted to losing a game of tennis to a friend also undergoing treatment, said the Wii brings a little bit of home to Kaiser-Vallejo’s third-floor rehab center. Because a Nintendo Wii system is relatively affordable compared to other game systems, many who become hooked at the hospital can afford to feed their addictions at home after discharge, he said.

Biter-Mundt, a 20-year Napa resident who uses a wheelchair to get around, understands the value of keeping therapy interesting. From 1987 to 2007, she taught adaptive physical education to Napa Valley College students with disabilities, where she said she developed her mission of preparing people with disabilities for their post-rehab lives. Biter-Mundt landed her current position at Kaiser in October of last year. She said the Wii is more than just fun and games.

“It’s been a really nice tool,” she said. “They’ve found that if people participate in an activity they used to enjoy prior to their injury (during therapy), they’re more likely to continue that activity. ... It’s a nice addition to what we can offer patients.”

Less than one month after transferring to Kaiser’s Vallejo facility on June 16 — and thanks, in part, to the Nintendo Wii — Reece graduated from the rehab program, returning home to his five roommates on July 3.

He plans to return to work on Sept. 1 at a Sacramento car dealership, where he has a position in the business office.