Video game-based therapy helps stroke patients
Date:
March 9, 2022
Source:
University of Missouri-Columbia
Summary:
After a stroke, patients may lose feeling in an arm or experience
weakness and reduced movement that limits their ability to complete
basic daily activities. Traditional rehabilitation therapy is
very intensive, time-consuming and can be both expensive and
inconvenient, especially for rural patients travelling long
distances to in-person therapy appointments. That's why a team of
researchers utilized a motion-sensor video game, Recovery Rapids,
to allow patients recovering from a stroke to improve their
motor skills and affected arm movements at home while checking in
periodically with a therapist via telehealth.
FULL STORY ========================================================================== After a stroke, patients may lose feeling in an arm or experience
weakness and reduced movement that limits their ability to complete
basic daily activities.
Traditional rehabilitation therapy is very intensive, time-consuming and
can be both expensive and inconvenient, especially for rural patients travelling long distances to in-person therapy appointments.
========================================================================== That's why a team of researchers, including one at the University of
Missouri, utilized a motion-sensor video game, Recovery Rapids, to
allow patients recovering from a stroke to improve their motor skills
and affected arm movements at home while checking in periodically with
a therapist via telehealth.
The researchers found the game-based therapy led to improved outcomes
similar to a highly regarded form of in-person therapy, known as constraint-induced therapy, while only requiring one-fifth of the
therapist hours. This approach saves time and money while increasing convenience and safety as telehealth has boomed in popularity during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As an occupational therapist, I have seen patients from rural areas
drive more than an hour to come to an in-person clinic three to four
days a week, where the rehab is very intensive, taking three to four
hours per session, and the therapist must be there the whole time,"
said Rachel Proffitt, assistant professor in the MU School of Health Professions. "With this new at-home gaming approach, we are cutting
costs for the patient and reducing time for the therapist while still
improving convenience and overall health outcomes, so it's a win-win. By
saving time for the therapists, we can also now serve more patients
and make a broader impact on our communities." Traditional rehab home exercises tend to be very repetitive and monotonous, and patients rarely
adhere to them. The Recovery Rapids game helps patients look forward to rehabilitation by completing various challenges in a fun, interactive environment, and the researchers found that the patients adhered well
to their prescribed exercises.
"The patient is virtually placed in a kayak, and as they go down the
river, they perform arm motions simulating paddling, rowing, scooping up
trash, swaying from side to side to steer, and reaching overhead to clear
out spider webs and bats, so it's making the exercises fun," said Rachel Proffitt, assistant professor in the MU School of Health Professions. "As
they progress, the challenges get harder, and we conduct check-ins
with the participants via telehealth to adjust goals, provide feedback
and discuss the daily activities they want to resume as they improve."
Nearly 800,000 Americans have a stroke each year according to the CDC,
and two- thirds of stroke survivors report they cannot use their affected
limbs to do normal daily activities, including making a cup of coffee,
cooking a meal or playing with one's grandchildren.
"I am passionate about helping patients get back to all the activities
they love to do in their daily life," Proffitt said. "Anything we can
do as therapists to help in a creative way while saving time and money
is the ultimate goal."
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Missouri-Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Lynne V. Gauthier, Deborah S. Nichols-Larsen, Gitendra Uswatte,
Nancy
Strahl, Marie Simeo, Rachel Proffitt, Kristina Kelly, Roger Crawfis,
Edward Taub, David Morris, Linda Pax Lowes, Victor Mark, Alexandra
Borstad. Video game rehabilitation for outpatient stroke (VIGoROUS):
A multi-site randomized controlled trial of in-home, self-managed,
upper- extremity therapy. eClinicalMedicine, 2022; 43: 101239 DOI:
10.1016/ j.eclinm.2021.101239 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220309165544.htm
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