Nintendo Wii training on postural balance and mobility rehabilitation of adults with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Postural instability affects balance control in Parkinson disease (PD) patients and increases the particular risk of falling compared with healthy older adults. Video games with not immersive virtual reality have been used in neurological disorders rehabilitation process. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the video game console Nintendo Wii (NW) on postural balance and mobility treatment of adults with PD in Hoehn and Yahr stages I to III. Methods: The following databases were searched electronically on MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PEDro, CAPES Periodic, BIREME, and LILACS databases. The search period for this review was January 2010 to June 2016. The assessment of methodological quality was performed using the PEDro Scale as reference. Results: 12 original studies were selected, but only 3 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Conclusion: Some of the studies analysed suggest that NW can provide improvement in balance and mobility of adults with PD. These benefits should be interpreted with caution because of the low methodological quality of the included trials, and the lack of common assessment of treatment effects. There is little evidence to ensure the effectiveness and support the inclusion of the treatment with NW of patients with PD.

Effectiveness of Nintendo Wii on Balance in People with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review

“…However, two of the studies compared the effectiveness of Wii Fit exercise with conventional therapies. All the studies, except the one conducted by Ferraz et al [ 17 ], confirmed the effectiveness of Wii Fit exercises in improving PD patients’ body functionality and life outcome [ 18 ]. The studies discovered that Wii Fit training causes significant body functionality and posterior balance improvement, but added that combined Wii Fit and conventional training is the most effective way to address PD.…”

“…Negrini et al [ 2 ] study even showed that PD patients should have between 10 to 15 Wii Fit sessions in a weak. Ferraz et al [ 17 ] never found sufficient evidence to confirm the significance of Wii exercises as a PD therapy, although some articles hinted that Wii could be a vital PD intervention. Discovered that Wii Fit is not just effective, but also enjoyable to older adults with neurocognitive disorders, enabling acceptability.…”

“…It uses a novel balance system that coordinates activities and tracks changes in the center of pressure (COP) during gaming. Diverse physiological interventions have proven effective in enhancing balance and ambulation, but they have exceedingly high costs compared to Wii Fit games [ 17 ]. Understanding the effectiveness of Wii Fit can enable wide adoption of the gaming tool to help PD patients improve their life outcomes, considering its accessibility, portability, and affordability.…”

“…The current systematic review aims at examining the effectiveness of the Nintendo Wii Fit ("Wii Fit") game in improving balance in people with Parkinson's disease. Wii Fit is a gaming software designed to enhance balance and fitness for people and, at the same time, give entertainment[2,17]. The game is widely available, portable, and affordable compared to the costs involved in other PD therapeuticinterventions.…”

Can videogames improve balance in women over 60 years? (¿Pueden los videojuegos mejorar el equilibrio en mujeres mayores de 60 años?)

“…Hence, videogames could be a positive support when our objective is to improve physical and cognitive function (Anguera, Gazzaley, Sahakian, & Kramer, 2015;Ballesteros, Prieto, Mayas, Toril, Pita, Ponce de León, Reales, & Waterworth, 2014;Horne et al, 2014;IJsselsteijn, Nap, De Kort, & Poels, 2007;Shah, Weinborn, Verdile, Sohrabi, & Martins, 2017). Also, it can be used in neurorehabilitation programs (Cameirão, Badia, Oller, & Verschure, 2010); like in the improvement and recovery of pathologies such as minor depression (Li, Theng, Foo, & Xu, 2018) and Parkinson's disease (Ferraz, Trippo, Dominguez, Santos, & Oliveira, 2017). Therefore, it can help in the prevention of falls (Mirelman, Maidan, Herman, Deutsch, Giladi, & Hausdorff, 2011) since it has shown that digital games increase adherence to a rehabilitation program after falling (Uzor & Baillie, 2014).…”