Can Nintendo Games Help Stroke Patients?

By Chuck Seegert, Ph.D.

New research has demonstrated that by participating in physiotherapy that involves playing customized Nintendo Wii games, stroke survivors can significantly improve their arm movements. Therapy using the popular video game console could even be effectively conducted at the patient’s home.

Strokes, sometimes called cerebrovascular accidents, are caused by a reduced blood supply to portions of the brain. Loss of brain function occurs and can lead to paralysis or limited function of the anatomy associated with the effected part of the brain. Strokes are very common, and these functional losses can become permanent in a majority of stroke survivors without proper physiotherapy.

To improve this type of treatment, a new approach using the popular Nintendo Wii has had extremely encouraging results, according to a recent press release from Lancaster University. Playing modified versions of off-the-shelf games was shown to be beneficial for stroke patients. The patients involved in the study used the Wii remote to control an avatar on the screen. This solution enabled the real-time tracking of stroke survivor arm movements. When used to perform physiotherapy, there was a threefold increase in the patient's ability to manipulate pegs and place them in holes.

“The innovative use of the Nintendo Wii could present a way to enhance community based stroke rehabilitation of the arm by providing a motivating and cost-effective way of exercising that could be remotely monitored and exercises adjusted as required by a physiotherapist,” said Dr. Emmanuel Tsekleves of Lancaster University, according to the press release.

The system was tested on three stroke survivors with various levels of disability, according to a recent study published by the Lancaster University research team in Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. Additionally, in a two-week, single case study with a long-term stroke survivor, the patient showed improved functional use that included better wrist control.

Researchers found that patients strongly identified with their onscreen avatars. Interestingly, activities that were too difficult or too easy were deemed unenjoyable by certain measures, which indicated that the appropriate level of activities needed to be individually calibrated.

Adherence to physiotherapy regimens can be a significant challenge in some settings, according to the study. With the appropriate calibration, however, the patient’s motivation to participate in the therapy can potentially be optimized. The Wii system is a particularly useful tool in this regard, as a wide range of movements can be accommodated for many different types of paralysis. Additionally, speed and range of motion can be tailored for specific cases.

Finally, the system offers the potential to remote monitor physiotherapy sessions. Instead of trying to understand the amount of practice that the patient may have performed between sessions, the quality of the practice and patient movements can be evaluated remotely, according to the study. This could help the therapist tailor a recovery program appropriate for each individual patient.

While the use of computer games shows much promise in the field of stroke recovery, it isn’t the only approach to physiotherapy under investigation. Recently, in an article on Med Device Online, a mechanical device was introduced as well.