Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), ubiquitous in sports medicine, have been used to examine a healthy 22-year-old Wii player complaining of shoulder soreness after playing Wii Sports Bowling, in the latest thrilling epsiode of Skeletal Radiology. Blah blah blah, authoritative description of simple injury, diagnosis: Wiiitis. It's right there in the peer-reviewed paper.

"Awkward deceleration forces" are blamed for Wiiitis. Translation, swinging a Wiimote is not really the same as swinging a golf club at a phantom ball. With the Wiimote, you're putting the same force into an object that weighs fractionally as much, against zero resistance. And besides, when most people practice their swings with those clubs, they do it in slow-mo.

Here's a question for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. What is the "weight" of a lit lightsaber anyway, such that it has any? Did Obi-Wan get Wiiitis from "awkwardly decelerating" his blade?

Side note: For any fogey gamers who remember the good ol mercury-switch "Le Stick" from the 1980s, I swear my bro and I got Wiiitis playing Activision Decathlon — a quarter century before Wiiitis was discovered.

Magnetic resonance imaging of acute "wiiitis" of the upper extremity [SpringerLink, via GameCritics

Wii Fatality [Revver - Thanks Ross!]

Looks like Nintendo, while a bit slow to react, is taking the classy way out of their flimsy Wii strap fiasco.

After staying mum on the issue since launch, the publisher finally admitted they had an issue to the Associated Press and then announced that they are replacing Wii straps for those who would like the peace of mind of knowing that when they play Wii Sports they won't be caving in the front of their $3,000 plasma screen.

The AP reports that the company announced today that they are "recalling" 3.2 million straps for the Wii.

According to the Nintendo site, if you have an original version of the strap you need to complete a form. Once the replacement strap has shipped you will receive an email from the company. They say on the site they expect to start shipping the straps by Dec. 21 and it will take five to nine days for delivery.

I'd love to take credit for this, but since the announcement came about an hour after my call for free replacements, I suspect it was already in the works.

Once more major kudos to Nintendo for handling this properly. I think everyone could learn from how they deal with hardware issues. Brian Crecente

Strap Replacement Form

Wii Remote Wrist Strap Replacement Request Form

Nintendo is offering to replace the original version of the wrist straps for the Wii Remote with a newer version. Because Wii consoles shipped starting in early December already utilized the newer version of the strap, you will need to determine which version of the strap you have before ordering a replacement. To view the difference between the original and the new version of the strap, please click here.

If you have an original version of the strap, please complete the form below to get a replacement (also, to ensure you continue to have a fun & safe experience, please read our Safety Information for Playing Wii by clicking here).

Once your replacement wrist strap has shipped, you will receive a confirmation email from Nintendo. We expect to begin shipping replacement straps around December 21st. It will take 5 to 9 days for delivery depending on your location. Please do not contact Nintendo regarding your replacement wrist strap until after that time period has passed.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your interest in our products.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Joel Zumaya missed three games of the American League Championship Series thanks inflammation of the forearm and right wrist, something everyone assumed was brought on by his pitches.

But it turns out that like yours truly, Zumaya is a Guitar Hero addict and the prolonged gaming was what actually brought on the injury.

Club president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said that team trainers discovered that the injuries to 22-year-old Zumaya's arm, was more consistent with the action of a guitar player than a baseball pitcher.

So the team told him to stop playing the game and he was able to pitch pain-free during the World Series.

Oh noes! How do you choose between the World Series and Guitar Hero? Brian Crecente

HUMMIN' SLOWED BY STRUMMIN': Guitar video game hurt Zumaya's arm [Free Press]

i was playing wii sports boxing with my brother and we were playing in a pretty small room. the idiot go so into the action and tried to side swipe my character when his nunchuk hit me in my right eye. i have an absolutely massive bloody black eye and can hardly even open it.

Don't believe me?

to top it off, about 5 minutes later he was playing on his own when the wii remote shot out of his hand and hit the tv. its only a cheap crt, but he's put a dark patch in it from the impact. anyway, thought i may as well let others get a kick out of my mishaps...

I know we've reported about this before, but it doesn't quite hit home until it happens to you.

This morning a gaggle of children had set up residence in my lounge to play some Wii. About ten minutes into Wii Sports play I heard a distressingly loud thump followed by even more frightening silence.

Chugging downstairs I found a circle of children staring at me with wide eyes and open mouths. On the floor lay a Wii remote, on one of the child's wrists a broken Wii strap.

They were, they tell me, playing baseball. Fortunately, the airborne remote slapped into a wall and not my $3,000 plasma screen.

For now, I am no longer letting the kids play Wii. If I have to decide between a happy half-dozen children and a working Plasma the TV wins every time.

Until Nintendo gets around to fixing the exceedingly flimsy piece of string holding the strap to the Wii, I'm not going to be letting anyone play Wii Sports anywhere near my TV.

I'm hoping someone, anyone, steps up and comes out with a much sturdier, perhaps metal, cord for the strap. Brian Crecente