Abstract
Howcroft J, Klejman S, Fehlings D, Wright V, Zabjek K, Andrysek J, Biddiss E. Active
video game play in children with cerebral palsy: potential for physical activity promotion
and rehabilitation therapies.
Objective
To evaluate the potential of active video game (AVG) play for physical activity promotion
and rehabilitation therapies in children with cerebral palsy (CP) through a quantitative
exploration of energy expenditure, muscle activation, and quality of movement.
Design
Single-group, experimental study.
Setting
Human movement laboratory in an urban rehabilitation hospital.
Participants
Children (N=17; mean age ± SD, 9.43±1.51y) with CP.
Intervention
Participants played 4 AVGs (bowling, tennis, boxing, and a dance game).
Main Outcome Measures
Energy expenditure via a portable cardiopulmonary testing unit; upper limb muscle
activations via single differential surface electrodes; upper limb kinematics via
an optical motion capture system; and self-reported enjoyment via the Physical Activity
Enjoyment Scale (PACES).
Results
Moderate levels of physical activity were achieved during the dance (metabolic equivalent
for task [MET]=3.20±1.04) and boxing (MET=3.36±1.50) games. Muscle activations did
not exceed maximum voluntary exertions and were greatest for the boxing AVG and for
the wrist extensor bundle. Angular velocities and accelerations were significantly
larger in the dominant arm than in the hemiplegic arm during bilateral play. A high
level of enjoyment was reported on the PACES (4.5±0.3 out of 5).
Conclusions
AVG play via a low-cost, commercially available system can offer an enjoyable opportunity
for light to moderate physical activity in children with CP. While all games may encourage
motor learning to some extent, AVGs can be strategically selected to address specific
therapeutic goals (eg, targeted joints, bilateral limb use). Future research is needed
to address the challenge of individual variability in movement patterns/play styles.
Likewise, further study exploring home use of AVGs for physical activity promotion
and rehabilitation therapies, and its functional outcomes, is warranted.
Key Words
List of Abbreviations:
AVG (active video game), CP (cerebral palsy), DDR (Dance Dance Revolution), EE (energy expenditure), FCR (flexor carpi radialis), GMFCS (Gross Motor Function Classification System), MET (metabolic equivalent for task), MVE (maximum voluntary exertion), OMNI (OMNI Perceived Exertion Scale), PACES (Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale), V̇o2 (oxygen consumption), V̇co2 (expired carbon dioxide), VRT (virtual reality therapy), WE (wrist extensor bundle)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 09, 2012
Footnotes
Supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (grant no. MOP-102485), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
In-press corrected proof published online on May 7, 2012, at www.archives-pmr.org.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
