Exergaming With Additional Postural Demands Improves Balance and Gait in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis as Much as Conventional Balance Training and Leads to High Adherence to Home-Based Balance Training

The use of gaming technology for rehabilitation in people with multiple sclerosis

“…The studies which have compared traditional exercise to exergaming have either shown greater improvements, 26 or comparable outcomes but greater adherence (Table 1), 34 which suggests that exergames may be beneficial for long-term rehabilitation. Unlike traditional exercise a common complainant about 'offthe-shelf' exergaming is the inability to alter the training intensity.…”

“…There are a mix of study designs (Table 1) ranging from case study to RCT; [24][25][26][27][28] there is no consensus about the (a) outcome measures, (b) the duration/frequency of training sessions (training sessions have lasted from 1 day up to a proposed 12 months), 29,30 and (c) the types of game played on these platformsall familiar issues in exergaming research. The one common factor between all the studies reported here is the use of commercially available games, [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] i.e. not games which are specific to the needs of PwMS.…”

“…Kramer et al addressed this in a novel way by combining Wii exergames with an unstable platform (Posturomed) and compared this to a Posturomed-only training group and conventional training only group. 34 Both single and dual task balance and gait were tested before and after the 3-weeks training. Since multitasking while walking has been identified as a situation with a particular high falls risk, 41-43 the inclusion of dual task measures is an important one.…”

The Effectiveness of Exergames in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Staiono et al studied exergames for weight loss and psychosocial improvements in adolescents and concluded that exergames, especially when played cooperatively, can be an effective technological tool for weight loss among young people [42]. Kramer et al used exergames to improve balance and gait in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and wrote that "the integration of exergames seems to have a positive effect on adherence and is thus potentially beneficial for the long-term effectiveness of rehabilitation programs for MS patients" [43].…”

Physical activity in patients with heart failure : motivations, self-efficacy and the potential of exergaming

“…Exergaming is defined as an experiential activity such as playing exergames or any videogames that require physical exertion or movements that are more than sedentary activities and also include strength, balance, and flexibility activities. 71 Except for one case study 72 -Certain games were too difficult to play 87,89 -Adherence: 84-97.50% 76,81,88,90 -No serious adverse events 75,91 -Exergaming was feasible for older adults and stroke patients 85,91,92 Physical activity -Increase in EE 76,85,86,88,89,93,94 -Increase in gait speed 77,80,81,84,87 -Increase in physical status, especially cardiorespiratory fitness 77,78,84,85,88 -Increase in motor function 77,84,91 -No difference in EE exergaming while standing or sitting 93 Balance -Increase in balance 75,81,82,87 -No relationship between EE or activity and balance status 93 Participants' experiences -High level of enjoyment 75,78,82,87,…”