Cosmin Mihaiu: Physical therapy is boring - play a game instead

You’ve just been injured, and you’re on the way home from an hour of physical therapy. The last thing you want to do on your own is confusing exercises that take too long to show results. TED Fellow Cosmin Mihaiu demos a fun, cheap solution that turns boring physical therapy exercises into a video game with crystal-clear instructions.
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[@veilside350]

We have been using Nintendo Wii for our physical therapy patients for years now and it works perfectly, i haven't had anyone complain and everybody likes it. its great.

[@DenGuleBalje]

Just make the games better and more fun, and maybe this will go somewhere.

[@strykerten560]

Kristoffer Johnsen I mean, its a proof of concept for a technology, a platform, not a specific game. He is encouraging other people to take this idea and use it, make things with it, such as their own games. Obviously an actual game designer can make a better game than someone who knows basic scripting who just threw together a proof of concept

[@mihailung1720]

Kristoffer Johnsen The point is to make physical therapy less painfully boring, not to create le leet e-sports xDDxD. If you can't do your physical therapy unless a team of 30 programmers and designers worked on a way to get your fucking brain to function properly then you're probably hopeless anyway.

[@DenGuleBalje]

Sebastian Anderson These games ARE painfully boring. I hooe this goes somewhere and that it helps as many as possible. That's why i commented on the quality of the game.

[@ZechsMerquise73]

Kristoffer Johnsen I feel like it'll be hard to make somethign the works on that motion controls of a slow and controlled movement like this. If anything, at least these games have dynamic reaction instead of making gameplay work like a quick time event. That's the only other way I can really see it happening.

[@YouTube_influencer_no.1]

First of all great talk. Second, using playful activities as a therapy intervention has been part of occupational therapy (OT) since its early beginnings. OT's would always take the motivational aspect (client centeredness), the clients environment and its personal capacities into acount to promote adherence.

[@joncarlosoriano3417]

Patric Duletzki +

[@Healthyconsumer]

As a Physical Therapist who loves technology, this would only create more non-essential and possible technical hurdles in the rehab world. Keep things simple. In my experience, Patients just need more education and coaching for compliance. If they understand WHY they are doing something and the consequences of not doing it, it usually gets done.

[@fabi2365]

Chris Sovey I totally agree with you.

[@joshboston2323]

Dr. Chris Sovey--i couldn't disagree more. People don't do their exercises, even if they know they should. People know they should exercise more in general, Yet they don't do it either.

[@FarisChilton]

Since most PTs provide educational and coaching content, 70% of the patients still don't comply.. I think there is lack of motivation

[@steezmonster92]

LOL people would rather die than stop smoking, people don't choose to eat more fruits and vegetables even though they know they should. Lack of information and understanding is not the problem. Convincing people to take action and perform a non-desirable task for long term benefit is the problem.

[@lisawood365]

I respectfully disagree And I luv PT/movement. But I find movement is funnest when we r playing &/or engaged. Telling people to do this 5 times a week 3 sets of 10. Well counting to 30 for 6 weeks 5 times a day gets kind of dull. Playing tho our minds and bodies r engaged:) I think this could b one way to get people to follow the HEP’s and if it works it helps:)

[@Lip22Gloss]

Attractive, kind, and intelligent? Sign me up!

[@JeanMarie16]

***** right?!

[@mademoiselleea]

haha, romanian guys !!

[@andrei3831]

Too simple, too good. Treaba buna!

[@bkj19801]

Me as a physical therapist felt inspirational at this unique concept.. It's fine to listen for such constructive suggestions and then will see how extensive and feasible its practise. Great 🙏👏👍

[@GiraffeFeatures]

Really? As a physiotherapist this was a frustrating video. 'Me and my Mother didn't do our exercises and got annoyed that as a result we didn't magically get better and I'm such a man-child I need a children's video game to make me do my exercises'. The idea that you can have a video of a physiotherapist doing the exercises themselves is not new, the technology has existed for a long time, and exercise tutorials are typically printed/emailed. Paediatrics? Sure, this would be a good way to help children do their exercises. But adults? Grow up. The only thing that would be useful is to get the immediate feedback from the patient and the insurance that they're doing their exercises, but as a physio you should have already built up the rapport that your patient feels comfortable being honest with you.

[@mihayy2000]

Keep up the good work!!!

[@eebeelive]

I love it, what a great idea!

[@PackofPups]

Very creative problem solving!

[@Baraxis13]

Would love to see more intensive therapies for patients with neuromuscular issues. I have grown up with Muscular Dystrophy, and PT was always tedious.

[@eebeelive]

Interested in the speech one as well! Let us know when the home version comes out!

[@Reloaded44]

Wish I had something like this for my clients!

[@andylane200]

This is a cool idea. I am a physical therapist and I have used the Nintendo Wii in the past for patients. This is more specific than that, which is nice. I just don't like the title of this post because saying "play a game instead" suggests that you don't actually have to go to physical therapy in the first place, but that's not the case. You still need to be under the guidance of a physical therapist to use this program in order to perform the proper exercises and not exercises that will further the injury. You also need to initially go to a physical therapist for manual treatment, manipulation, modalities, and other things that you are not able to perform on your own. I love this idea and the potential it creates, just not the way it is advertised by saying "play a game instead"

[@Aya-gj2ik]

What a great job

[@SophieSurmont]

C'est génial ! J'ai eu tellement du mal à me remettre pour mon genoux, ça, avec des jeux un peu plus drôle, ça aurait été top.

[@Murkosk]

wonderful

[@Molhedim]

good job/treaba buna

[@TheAlphaRalph]

wow that was cool!

[@lovelife02]

That would be great on the WII

[@AutonomousShadow]

It's a good idea, but one of the biggest issues is cost. Either the price for the software and hardware needs to be very cheap or insurance companies would have to agree to pay for it. Cooperating with insurance companies is hard to do and could result in higher premiums for customers.

[@killaz3121]

I like the idea of it and I've heard people have actually been working on this a while now, but is it actually practical? How long can a person actually stay motivated to play a game like bidding. The motivation to do home exercises should come from the person wanting to get better, not from a simple child's game. At some point the game is going to get boring and patients won't want to play them and you'll be back to square one. Nevertheless, when looking at certain patient populations like pediatrics, there is lots of potential. Hopefully, they'll do a good job of it!

[@justincase7044]

So smart

[@nathand256]

This idea is really cool and I liked the part where he said he is going to make an option available for autistic kids. If that feature is available, then, I am very much interested in purchasing it.

[@alignwithally]

This is a very good idea, but the cost of a Kinect is expensive. I doubt that a patient who is injured for a short amount of time will invest in a game this expensive. Maybe if this plan of treatment could also be used with a computer (camera built in) and just an app or download to access the PT exercise program.

[@lanakael]

That would be ideal. Either a program you could buy outright, or even a subscription service for short-term therapy.

[@utubit22]

genius!!

[@jliller]

Great idea, although it raises a bigger question: 70% failure to do physical therapy home exercises? We really need to figure out WTF is wrong with humans; we have very serious motivation issues.

[@lwcereal74]

jliller have you ever had to do hours of physical therapy almost every single day for months and months? the motivation is certainly there, especially since you want to recover from your injury, but in combination with a long work day, school, and other busying things in life, sometimes you run out of patience to do boring exercises every single day, over and over, by yourself, for more than an hour... if you've been through lots of physical therapy you wouldn't have necessarily fallen victim to the lack of motivation but you would certainly understand why and how others would.

[@jliller]

lwcereal74 I can understand why it's boring. That doesn't stop it from being a staggering failure rate. But if we can't expect the majority of people to do their physical therapy exercises how can we expect them to exercise or do the other things where the correlation between action and result are even less straightforward than physical therapy yet still important. That failure rate is I think symptomatic of a larger problem.

[@antoinesalzmann96]

jliller I broke my kneecap and ended up in a brace for about 3 months. Once that came off and I was given a couple exercises to do which as he explained were extremely boring and I always seemed to have something better to do. I found in the end that what helped the most was to do my best to just go about my day the same way as before the injury. Just walking to uni, taking the stairs etc. After about a week I was back skating on the ice, and a week after that I was playing hockey again. By doing something interesting, I got my mind off the pain and got back to normal relatively fast!

[@TheFernandaification]

Sometimes, it's very painful to do some exercises and it is hard to push yourself through the torture.

[@lanakael]

We like to be entertained. I mentioned in a previous post that I've been to rehab several times before for various physical problems. I HATE getting up in the morning, especially knowing I've got an hour or more of PT ahead of me. But the days I was able to use the Wii, or able to run my mouth with the other patients, time just flew by. You stay out strong at home with every intention of keeping up with your exercises, but... You're no longer on a routine. Real Life is back in session and there are other things that need your Stebbins. And you're now having to do these repeating motions all by yourself. Even in front of the TV or with the radio, it's boring. And very few people have family/friends who are understanding enough to do the routines with them. They get bored, discouraged, and they stop doing what they know they should be doing.

[@BBMadalinBB]

Is he romanian ? If he is I'm happy to see him doing it big.

[@alex_oiman]

wow! fixing the first world problem of boredom with hightech gear my grandma couldnt afford if she needed it.

[@idrivegmingshortsvideos786]

Provide game link for phyiotherapy

[@tomysbro5167]

Hello guys, I need to do researches for my thesis about this subject, does someone knows where I can find his sources?

[@Ellipse31]

mandru ca e roman de-al nostru!

[@ghsdtbdd]

Da, foarte bine ca facem si noi asta.Respect!

[@postalpancho]

"Therapy is boring" Starts boring video game.

[@imamhussain5621]

It is limited to 0.001 of the conditions in physio domain, what about spinal or extremities manipulation or Mackenzie exercises?

[@cRobbone88]

PRO!!!

[@IDislikeTheNewYoutube]

Look, this presentation is about as innovative as the 1970's. My parents are both PT's and have been doing games their whole careers. This is stupid.

[@micimackoful]

I Dislike the new KZbin it is one thing to play a game during a pt session, obviously a lot better than lifting a weight 100 times in the exact same way, but the point of this is that it can remain engaging and motivating even to do at home, alone, and the therapist can track the exercises remotely.

[@chipsusmusic]

People also find eating healthy and exercise boring, hard, takes too long. Dosent mean its not the right treatment

[@shadracpierre1623]

i love physical therapy

[@aaronrosenberg6633]

Do bees have tongues?

[@hyenaedits3460]

***** Yep. www.bumblebee.org/bodyTongue.htm

[@aaronrosenberg6633]

Thanks! Not quite like the little cartoon bee's tongue, but interesting.

[@RedberetVC]

Future DPT candidate here The motivation is supposed to come from the fact that you don't want to spend another 6-8weeks injured and lose a significant amount of strength and range of motion. If this doesn't motivate you strongly I don't know what to say

[@andrei88ro]

Michael Matta When it comes to kids I think that recovery through games/fun activities is way better. They will probably not understand the concept of losing strength and range of motion and will try avoiding doing their exercises if they are boring.

[@wrxbungle]

Andrei Iordache very true, pediatric PT can be challenging because you have to come up with creative ways to get the kids to do their exercises so that they feel engaged and as though they are just playing a game!

[@DSBrekus]

Michael Matta Long term yes but obviously many people need more short term motivation to do boring and painful exercises daily. It should be part of your job to try and help them find that motivation. You should have more empathy for people who happen to have a lower pain/boredom threshold.

[@Teslasclassroom]

Im a physical therapist and software engineer,

[@chipsusmusic]

Misleading title. There are plenty of PT treatments that arent boring and very effective. Compliance is complex. Not just due to “boring”

[@nth8981]

salam . mishe facebooketo dashte basham?

[@OhFishyFish]

Yes, 25yr old man after terrible car crash who isn't motivated to follow doctor's recommendation suddenly will start exercising it when asked to help little smiling bee fly between pink flowers. Are you serious?

[@delapuenteignacio]

Yeah but you need to throw some good MMOs in there...

[@PtAndTrain]

It is already a thing...

[@HelmyelsaidBlogspot]

phsical

[@drsareekakatkuriphysiother5376]

You aren't updated with the recent advances in Physiotherapy. Have you heard of Mckenzie Physiotherapy, which is painless therapy. Search on the internet., N all exercises can't be game oriented.. Yes you may design the way u wanna do it. But why can't we trust our own body and brains.

[@sarahbee7272]

I love computer nerds :)

[@garyyourofsky920]

We have computers telling us when to cross the street and when to stop and i see many people actually stopping to a red light when there is no car even close. And i see people crossing the street without even watching left and right, just following the green light like lemmings. Now we have computers for improving our own health, as improving our health would not be important enough to motivate by itself... Just another thing to make humanity more stupid and non-independent sheep robots as they already are ;) please invent a computer game that makes people actually think by themselves!

[@drsareekakatkuriphysiother5376]

Gary Yourofsky exactly .

[@Bocbo]

I'm sure that insurance companies will NEVER use this data to deny coverage. Gee Mr Mihaiu you only made the bumblebee jump 23 times. In order for us to cover this PT session you had to make the bumblebee jump 25 times. So sorry. Claim denied.

[@CyberJuanito]

This is cool, but nothing truly new. Rehab gyms have been using Wii games an Kinect games as therapy for a some years.

[@mauro_cr]

hello , my name is mauro and im so dolphin

[@postalpancho]

He is complaining that it took his mom 5 months to heal.....5 months sounds about right for frozen shoulder.

[@asharedo]

Haha I was checking if someone had mentioned this.

[@HelmyelsaidBlogspot]

therapy

[@michaelchaplin866]

Jesus. From brushing your teeth to helping yourself recover from an injury has to be accompanied by some sort of device. If you don’t do home care that just laziness and shows lack self interest.

[@MMOStein]

Hey he found a purpose for the Kinect microsoft owes him a share now LOL

[@mynameisosca]

physical therapy or physio therapy?

[@MeenMarzo]

Oscar US and UK

[@roopb9224]

same thing

[@HelmyelsaidBlogspot]

theories

[@travelphysicaltherapist8246]

Physical Therapists have been using games for decades; and electronic games since it has become mainstream. We use WiiFit, Kinect, and many other brands for neuro and orthopedics. We use all current technology now too. But your oversimplification of the profession is overwhelmingly ignorant. What you are asking for is what is called Repetitive Active Range of Motion which is a sliver of what physical therapy is about. Your product has good intentions but is very insulting in presentation.

[@meziel3708]

Instead of bashing the guy can you please give examples of other things physical therapists do for their patients?

[@MultiGoban]

How can one be so short sighted? I'm impressed! Perhaps it's human nature, and thus the doctors fault not to enlighted their patients...

[@logictruth1]

MultiGoban This is not being short sighted. It's being demotivated. Demotivation (that's not a word but you know what I mean) can really stop you from doing virtually anything and the more unpleasant the action, the more demotivated you feel about doing it. That is because we humans always long for comfort and pleasure and even if it has any negative consequences we are either consciously or subconsciously willing to take it. That's just the way we are. That is why successful businesses try all sorts of methods to keep their workers motivated. Motivation and inspiration can boost the likelihood of accomplishing anything exponentially while demotivation (still not a word) will always be the main cause of any failed operation through various ways from poor execution to corruption within the organization/ company you work in.

[@MultiGoban]

John Smith Exactly what I said, short sighted. They aren't aware that by not doing the exercise, seeking comfort, they are prelonging their pain...

[@logictruth1]

MultiGoban They are very well aware but they still chose not to because they'd rather have their arm damaged a few more weeks than do the exercises. It takes way more will power than you think to keep doing those...

[@MultiGoban]

You guys are pathetic :)

[@logictruth1]

Carson Hunt Oh really? Well I had a car accident last year. My knees were fucked for months and they still haven't recovered! The only thing YOU don't realize is that most people are TOO. FUCKING. LAZY!!! OBVIOUSLY unlike you! you are the minority here and that's what he's talking about! We don't exercise when we are fat to an unhealthy extent either - THIS is no different. Those who get skinny are just a fraction of those who tried as well because most of us lack will power! What is so fucking hard to understand about this????

[@arianelajato6255]

think twice for your title here

[@wurification]

You have no idea, how a good (there are quite a few.) physical therapist can actually help you son, so sit down with your childish video games and be quiet.