Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of 4 to 6 weeks of exergaming with a
computer mouse embedded within an arm skate on upper limb function in survivors
of chronic stroke. DESIGN: Intervention study with a 4-week postintervention
follow-up. SETTING: In home. PARTICIPANTS: Survivors (N=13) of chronic (>/=6 mo)
stroke with hemiparesis of the upper limb with stable baseline Fugl-Meyer
assessment scores received the intervention. One participant withdrew, and 2
participants were not reassessed at the 4-week follow-up. No participants
withdrew as a result of adverse effects. INTERVENTION: Four to 6 weeks of
exergaming using the arm skate where participants received either 9 (n=5) or 16
(n=7) hours of game play. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Upper limb component of the
Fugl-Meyer assessment. RESULTS: There was an average increase in the Fugl-Meyer
upper limb assessment score from the beginning to end of the intervention of 4.9
points. At the end of the 4-week period after the intervention, the increase was
4.4 points. CONCLUSIONS: A 4- to 6-week intervention using the arm skate
significantly improved arm function in survivors of chronic stroke by an average
of 4.9 Fugl-Meyer upper limb assessment points. This research shows that a
larger-scale randomized trial of this device is warranted and highlights the
potential value of using virtual reality technology (eg, computer games) in a
rehabilitation setting.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS