Doctors reporting a rise in Wii injuries

(by Gigi Stone, ABC News) - This week the Wii surpassed the legendary Super Mario Brothers in sales.

But if you or your kid got a Wii for Christmas be careful too much Wii could cause painful injuries.

There was a time when playing video games just involved sitting .The worst thing that could happen was a sore thumb. That was before Nintendo's Wii, which can involve jumping, kicking, twisting and punching.

"I didn't realize it was that vigorous." Elise Bacolas was so excited to get a Wii for Christmas she played the boxing game nonstop for hours. "I was playing 8 games in a row and I was punching so hard that I threw my shoulder out."

For the next two weeks- she couldn't move her arm without flinching and went to an orthopedic surgeon. "I was told that I had some inflammation there and that I probably over extended the shoulder - (laughs) that too is embarrassing - every time I go there they laugh at me."

Maybe embarrassing and a little strange but her situation is actually increasingly common.

Dr. Neil Roth says they're seeing a veritable Wii-tastrophe, "Over the last couple months, I've seen anywhere from ten to twelve new Wii injuries, most of them related to a little exuberant overuse."

Our society's virtual addiction has led to a certifiable affliction. First reported in the June 2007 New England Journal of Medicine under the name acute Wiiitis a repetitive motion injury from too much wii-ing.

Dr Roth says there can be more risk of injury than in playing an actual sport because you don't get as tired, "You, generally, are not exerting yourself as physically as if you were out playing the sport, so you get lured into the ability of playing this for hours and hours." Like Elise Bacolas did, "I never thought I would hurt myself I thought that you know it's just a game.

Some of the injuries doctors are seeing include back pain, knee and shoulder discomfort and elbow strain similar to tennis elbow.

If you'd like to see some funny video of people injuring themselves with their wii. -just click here. Some of them are pretty funny.