MS patients sought for Hope College study of Wii Fit's rehab potential

HOLLAND — Maureen Dunn of the Hope College kinesiology faculty is hoping to find area residents with multiple sclerosis who share her interest in exploring the Nintendo Wii Fit's potential for enhancing balance and mobility.

+/- Click for more/less

Dunn is seeking participants for a year-long pilot study to determine whether or not the Wii Fit can be an effective home-based rehabilitation tool for individuals with MS. The project, which will begin early next year, is being supported through a $32,487 award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It is work that hits close to home for Dunn. Her father was diagnosed with MS while she was in middle school, and she was diagnosed with it herself in 2004.

MS is a chronic disease that attacks the central nervous system — made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Dunn, who is an associate professor of kinesiology at Hope, noted that the disease's effects and severity vary from patient to patient, and can range from numbness in limbs to paralysis to loss of vision. Empathizing very directly with the need, she hopes that her work will help provide a new tool to help at least some of those who have the disease.

Click here for more