Nintendo Wii Fit for balance rehabilitation in patients with Parkinson's disease: A comparative study.
BACKGROUND
Impaired postural stability places individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) at an increased risk for falls.


OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the effectiveness of 10 vs. 15 sessions of Nintendo Wii Fit for balance recovery for outpatients PD.


METHODS
Twenty-seven patients, 48.1% female (66 ± 8 years), with PD. Patients with PD were consecutively assigned to one of two groups receiving either 10 or 15 sessions (low dose or high dose group, respectively) with Nintendo Wii Fit in recovering balancing ability. All outcome measures were collected at baseline, immediately following the intervention period, and 1-month following the end of the intervention.


METHODS
Falls risk test (FRT), Stability index (PST), Berg balance scale (BBS) and Tinetti scale.


RESULTS
The patients undergoing the 10 sessions demonstrated significantly improvement on the balance performances (Tinetti balance and gait scales, BBS and BSF) (all, P < 0.05) as those undergoing 15 treatment with Nintendo Wii Fit, but no significant group effect or group-by-time interaction was detected for any of them, which suggests that both groups improved in the same way.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that functional improvement can be made in fewer visits during outpatient rehabilitation sessions with Nintendo Wii Fit improving the efficiency of intervention.
Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Italy; IRCCS Don Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: stefano.negrini@med.unibs.it.
Stefano
S
Negrini
Casa di Cura Domus Salutis, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: luciano.bissolotti@ancelle.it.
Luciano
L
Bissolotti
Joints & Points Healthcare, Bromborough, Wirral, UK. Electronic address: ale.ferraris@gmail.com.
Alessandro
A
Ferraris
IRCCS Don Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: villafane.jh@gmail.com.
Fulvia
F
Noro
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida, USA. Electronic address: bish@phhp.ufl.edu.
Mark D
MD
Bishop
IRCCS Don Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: mail@villafane.it.
Jorge Hugo
JH
Villafañe
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D018910:Video Games
Balance; Nintendo Wii; Parkinson