Video game-based exercises for balance rehabilitation: a single-subject design.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether coupling foot center of pressure (COP)-controlled video games to standing balance exercises will improve dynamic balance control and to determine whether the motivational and challenging aspects of the video games would increase a subject's desire to perform the exercises and complete the rehabilitation process.


METHODS
Case study, pre- and postexercise.


METHODS
University hospital outpatient clinic.


METHODS
A young adult with excised cerebellar tumor, 1 middle-aged adult with single right cerebrovascular accident, and 1 middle-aged adult with traumatic brain injury.


METHODS
A COP-controlled, video game-based exercise system.


METHODS
The following were calculated during 12 different tasks: the number of falls, range of COP excursion, and COP path length.


RESULTS
Postexercise, subjects exhibited a lower fall count, decreased COP excursion limits for some tasks, increased practice volume, and increased attention span during training.


CONCLUSIONS
The COP-controlled video game-based exercise regime motivated subjects to increase their practice volume and attention span during training. This in turn improved subjects' dynamic balance control.
Betker
Aimee L
AL
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Szturm
Tony
T
Moussavi
Zahra K
ZK
Nett
Cristabel
C
D000328:Adult; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D018910:Video Games