May 15, 2005
Virtual Reality Games Could Aid Stroke Patients
According to the recent issue of the Journal Stroke, playing virtual games might help people who have had a stroke improve brain function and physical ability. Researchers reported that patients who played the games improved in walking, standing and climbing stairs, while brain-imaging done before and after therapy showed a reorganization of brain function.
While the study size was small and the volunteers relatively young - 10 stroke victims with an average age of 57 - the researchers believe video games may be a good way to keep patients engaged in therapy. The patients in the study, all had weakness on one side of their body. Researchers randomly assigned them to a control group or a virtual reality group. The control group got no intervention while the virtual reality group used the video training for an hour a day, five days a week for more than a month.
The three games in which the patient's body is superimposed into the scene were used to build a range of motion, balance, mobility, stepping and walking skills. One game simulated going up and down stairs, another let the patient go deep-sea diving with sharks and the third re-created snowboarding by simulating gliding down a narrow slope, jumping and avoiding obstacles.
The five patients who played the games improved in walking, standing and climbing steps, researchers said. Also, brain imaging done before and after the experiment indicated a reorganization of brain function after the therapy.
Despite the study's positive results, experts say more study is needed. While the technology "looks promising," it is too early to make any conclusions about virtual reality therapy.