A new study from the University of Missouri found a new motion-sensor video game can help patients recovering from a stroke improve their motor skills and affected arm movements at home.
The study is published in eClinicalMedicine and was conducted by Rachel Proffitt et al.
Nearly 800,000 Americans have a stroke each year according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Two-thirds of stroke survivors report they cannot use their affected limbs to do normal daily activities, including making a cup of coffee, cooking a meal, or playing with grandchildren.
After a stroke, patients may lose feeling in an arm or experience weakness and reduced movement that limits their ability to complete basic daily activities.
Traditional rehabilitation therapy is very intensive, time-consuming, and can be both expensive and inconvenient, especially for rural patients traveling long distances to in-person therapy appointments.
The game-based therapy, called Recovery Rapids, led to improved outcomes similar to a highly regarded firm of in-person therapy, known as constraint-induced therapy, while only requiring one-fifth of the therapist’s hours.
The approach saves time and money while increasing convenience and safety as telehealth has boomed in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team says with this new at-home gaming approach, they are cutting costs for the patient and reducing time for the therapist while still improving convenience and overall health outcomes, so it’s a win-win.
Traditional rehab home exercises tend to be very repetitive and monotonous, and patients rarely adhere to them.
The Recovery Rapids game helps patients look forward to rehabilitation by completing various challenges in a fun, interactive environment, and the researchers found that the patients adhered well to their prescribed exercises.
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