The hottest new video game system isn't just being used in living rooms around the country. But the WII is turning up in hospital rehab centers as well.

Heidi McKenzie undergoes regular, conventional rehabilitation sessions following a car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down.

"Oh, yeah. I got you."

But she also participates in virtual rehab at the Ohio State University Medical Center, using interactive games on a WII.

"Once you just start punching, you don't want to stop."

Half an hour of sparring with a boxing partner provides more than just a workout.

It just helps with my overall balance and my vision to get better, which I'll really need.

Occupational therapist Robbie Winget helped develop a treatment plan after playing on a friend's gaming system.

He says simulated games are now helping patients with spinal cord and brain injuries and those who've suffered strokes.

"And we can incorporate the use of many muscles of coordination, vision and even the balance, all pieced together at one time" says Winget.

As of now, there's very little research that says WII does make a difference.  Winget says virtual rehab should never take the place of traditional exercises. He calls it another tool to aid in recovery.