Virtual Rehabilitation through Nintendo Wii in Poststroke Patients: Follow-Up

• Published in: Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases 2018-02, Vol.27 (2), p.494-498
• Main Authors: Carregosa, Adriani A., Aguiar dos Santos, Luan Rafael, Masruha, Marcelo R., Coêlho, Marília Lira da S., Machado, Tácia C., Souza, Daniele Costa B., Passos, Gustavo Luan L., Fonseca, Erika P., Ribeiro, Nildo Manoel da S., de Souza Melo, Ailton
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: physiotherapy; rehabilitation; Stroke; virtual reality exposure therapy
• ISSN: 1052-3057; 1532-8511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2017.09.029

To evaluate in the follow-up the sensory-motor recovery and quality of life patients 2 months after completion of the Nintendo Wii console intervention and determine whether learning retention was obtained through the technique. Five hemiplegics patients participated in the study, of whom 3 were male with an average age of 54.8 years (SD = 4.6). Everyone practiced Nintendo Wii therapy for 2 months (50 minutes/day, 2 times/week, during 16 sessions). Each session lasting 60 minutes, under a protocol in which only the games played were changed, plus 10 minutes of stretching. In the first session, tennis and hula hoop games were used; in the second session, football (soccer) and boxing were used. For the evaluation, the Fulg-Meyer and Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36) scales were utilized. The patients were immediately evaluated upon the conclusion of the intervention and 2 months after the second evaluation (follow-up). Values for the upper limb motor function sub-items and total score in the Fugl–Meyer scale evaluation and functional capacity in the SF-36 questionnaire were sustained, indicating a possible maintenance of the therapeutic effects. The results suggest that after Nintendo Wii therapy, patients had motor learning retention, achieving a sustained benefit through the technique.