An interactive game-based shoulder wheel system for rehabilitation

Abstract

Background:Increases in the aging population and in the number of accidents have resulted in more people suffering from physical impairments or disabilities. Rehabilitation therapy thus attracts greater attention as a means of helping patients recover and return to a normal life. With the extremely long and tedious nature of traditional rehabilitation, patients are reluctant to continue the entire process, thus the expected effects of the therapy cannot be obtained. Games are well known to help patients improve their concentration and shift their attention away from the discomfort of their injuries during rehabilitation. Thus, incorporating game technology into a rehabilitation program may be a promising approach.Methods:In this study, a gaming system used for shoulder rehabilitation was developed. The mechanical parts and electric circuits were integrated to mimic the functionalities of a shoulder wheel. Several games were also designed to suit the rehabilitation needs of the patients based on the age and gender differences among the individual users, enabling individuals to undergo the rehabilitation process by playing games. Two surveys were conducted to evaluate the satisfaction of the participants regarding the gaming system.Results:The results of the online survey among a larger population coincide with the responses of the hands-on participants through a paper-and-pencil survey. Statistical results suggest that the participants are willing to accept this novel approach.Conclusion:This gaming system can distract a patient from the sensation of pain or anxiety, and increase their motivation to participate in the therapeutic program. Advantages in terms of low-cost and easy setup increase the attractiveness of this new equipment for various potential users.

Shrug

“…Additionally, some of the shoulder rehabilitation devices discuss features such as adaptable game-play, in which difficulty is tailored to patient performance in realtime [5,3]. In this work we explore adding serious gaming aspects [2,6] to motivate patients during sessions and encourage them to practice continuously.…”

Shrug

“…Therefore, with SHRUG ( Figure 1), our main objective is to address the above limitations and provide an interactive and gamified experience to the patients and therapists. Existing research has discussed the usefulness of rehabilitation devices with features such as interactivity and adaptable game-play, in which difficulty is tailored to patient performance in realtime [2,3]. We built on these research and SHRUG system was modelled the SHRUG system such that it follows the same physical specifications and affordances of the existing platform.…”

Intensity of shoulder muscle activation during resistive exercises performed with and without virtual reality games

“…Other potential barriers to exercise are lack of accessible facilities, expensive equipment, lack of personal assistance, and fear of injury [19]. Exercise enabling factors include motivation, and fear of health complications [19,20,21]. Of these inhibitory and driving forces to exercise, motivation is the key to promote continued exercise [18,19,20].…”

“…Exercise enabling factors include motivation, and fear of health complications [19,20,21]. Of these inhibitory and driving forces to exercise, motivation is the key to promote continued exercise [18,19,20]. Thus, adding a motivational component to the STOMPS program should enhance adherence.…”