So, by now you’ve undoubtedly heard that Nintendo has launched the latest incarnation of its wildly successful Wii platform: Wii Fit. NPR’s usually unflappable Steve Inskeep sounded profoundly embarrassed on the radio this morning, as he stood on Wii Fit’s Balance Board and protested to his interviewee: “but you have to understand. I come from a part of the country where people don’t swivel their hips.” Forbes.com reports: “It’s a deceptive piece of technology that turns the monotony of exercise into a charming game.”

I’m all for a mass audience achieving BMI nirvana with a videogame. But what really got my attention is a recent conversation with an “e-patient” I’ve come to know as I’ve nurtured our emerging Patient Wisdom™ platform over the past year or so. E-patients are a growing, Internet-savvy cohort (over 50 million in the U.S., according to Jupiter Research), who are sharing valuable information and experience as they navigate the healthcare system and manage chronic or serious conditions.

It turns out my e-patient friend, who has multiple sclerosis, discovered the fitness benefits of the Wii months and months ago. Even if you have very limited mobility, she tells me, the motion you engage in in almost any Wii game is great for balance, upper body strength, hand-eye coordination – all important to MS patients. Some innovative rehab hospitals have actually integrated the Wii into their therapy programs, more often as a result of word-of-mouth or other viral buzz than an article in any peer-reviewed journal.

Will Nintendo ever build a marketing campaign around wheelchair-bound gamers? I’m not betting on it, at least not yet. But I never cease to be impressed by the wisdom and creativity of patients seeking to improve their quality of life, and the power of the Web to spread the word.