The Effects of a 5-Day Virtual-Reality Based Exercise Program on Kinematics and Postural Muscle Activity in Youth with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

The effects of a 5-day virtual-reality based exercise programme on kinematics and postural muscle activity in youth with cerebral palsy ABSTRACT Aims: To determine the effects of a 5-day virtual reality (VR)-based intervention on anticipatory and reactive mechanisms of postural control in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: Eleven youth with CP (GMFCS levels I and II), ages 7 to 17, were allocated to intervention (N=5) and control (N=6) groups. Both groups attended balance assessment sessions 1 week apart. Participants in the intervention group received 1 hour one-on-one physiotherapistsupervised VR balance games for 5 consecutive days between assessments. For balance assessments, participants stood erect with eyes open on a movable platform that translated progressively through four speeds in the anterior/posterior direction. Participants performed two trials each of experimenter-triggered and self-triggered perturbations. Postural muscle activity and kinematics were recorded. The Anchoring Index and body segment cross-correlations were calculated as an indication of body stabilization, and the number of steps taken to regain balance/avoid falling were counted. Mann Whitney-U tests for between group differences in change scores were undertaken with an accepted significance level of 0.01. Results: No consistent differences in change scores were identified between groups. Conclusions: There was no effect of a 5-day VR-based intervention on postural control mechanisms used in response to oscillating platform perturbations. Subsequent studies will further tailor VR interventions to patients' functional balance needs.

Effect of Community-Based Functional Aerobic Training on Motor Performance and Quality of Life of Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy

“…The findings indicated that 8-weeks CBFAE improved gross motor functions, walking distance and QoL of CP children. These findings substantiate the submission on exercise regimen being the most effective interventions for CP management ( 1 , 2 , 3 ). Specifically, with effects of 8-weeks CBFAE on gross motor functions of standing, walking, running and jumping, there was significant improvement.…”

“…Cerebral palsy (CP) is a permanent but non-progressive damage to developing brain leading to permanent voluntary motor control and movement disorders in one or more limbs and sometimes in the trunk ( 1 , 2 , 3 ). CP commonly contributes to motor disability and serves as principal cause of physical disabilities in children ( 4 ).…”

The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exercise on Individual’s Physiological, Psychological and Rehabilitative Outcomes: A Systematic Review

“…(3) articles which did not use VR exercise (e.g., some focused on VR only or VR exposure therapy (VRET) or Virtual Reality in Psychological Treatment (VRT)). The characteristics of the included studies are shown in the Table 2, which includes 11 RCTs [7,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]30,32,34], three controlled trials [28,31,33] and one causal-comparative study [29]. In detail, all 11 RCTs used baseline and post-test results from the intervention and control groups as the basis of their conclusions [7,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]30,32,34].…”

“…In detail, all 11 RCTs used baseline and post-test results from the intervention and control groups as the basis of their conclusions [7,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]30,32,34]. Moreover, the three controlled trials compared the inferential statistics at baseline and post-test of the predetermined control and experimental groups [28,31,33]. Lastly, the causal-comparative study analyzed differences between the control group and the experimental group [29].…”

The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in the Rehabilitation of Balance and Gait in Children with Cerebral Palsy: Mini-Review

“…They concluded that also future studies needed to determine the most appropriate and effective game choices in Nintendo Wii Fit and integration with conventional therapy [31]. In recent research studies support the use of full-body movement VR-based exercise avaliable intervention to improve functional balance and mobility outcomes in children with CP [32][33][34]. In a study Mills et al found that there was no effect of a 5 day VR-based training on anticipatory or reactive postural control mechanisms used in response to oscillating platform perturbations in children with CP.…”