Video Gaming as a Rehab Therapy

by Alice jonathan Content Developer

Gaming Therapies are gaining tremendous attention as an acceptable mode of treatment for a number of rehabilitative needs of patients with spinal and brain injuries. With the eveolution of technologies in gaming, it is now possible to enhance emotional and physical mobility among many patients.

Video games have often been criticized for supposedly contributing to inactivity and obesity. However a new genre of specially created video games has a certain therapeutic value attached to it. They can be used to help patients with diabetes, depression, cancer, asthma, autism and Parkinson’s disease. Being in a digital age, health care providers are benefitting immensely from the innovative uses of incentive-based video games in management prevention of the diseases.

How Neurorehabilitation works
Neurorehabilitation is a complex medical process which aims to aid in recovering from a nervous system injury, and to minimize any bolidy functional effects resulting from it.

In cases where an individual faces a serious disability, due to a severe spinal injury or brain damage, chances are that patients and his/her family members will be expected to adopt a ‘new way of living’ to cope with the physical and emotional changes that take place in their immediate lifestyle. Neurorehabilitation aims to work attitudes and skills of the patients and their family members to offer the highest level of independence possible.

Brain plasticity helps in making all kinds of rehabilitations possible after severe brain traumas and other neurological diseases and conditions. Plasticity can be understood as the capacity of the brain to change with learning. In simple words, it is the human brain’s ability to change – physically, chemically and functionally through life.

Biofeedback uses remote sensors and sensing technology wired into a computer. This aids in showing on the monitor exactly what is happening in real time. This helps both the therapist and the patient to figure out how the patient is controlling the game action and illustrates what’s needed to achieve better results. Depending on the needs and abilities, alterations can be done to the game task, while the progress can be charted electronically.

Plenty of optimism
Active video gaming as a therapy is safe, feasible and potentially effective to enhance motor function recovery. Stroke survivors who played plenty of games displayed clinically significant improvements in speed and the extent of recovered motor skills. Enjoying a simple video game, as the patients slides the metal arm back and forth on a platform, allows them to work towards regaining their upper body muscle movement over a period of time. The arm is robotic and helps to sense whether the player is doing the desired movement correctly or not. Adjustments can be made to the required work or intensity level. There are games that even helps patients recover language skills after a stroke.

Its important for the therapist to understand exactly how and when does a body part move during a prescribed exercise. Through this they can track the progress and make corrections to achieve the desired clinical results.

Why play games?
The therapists and recreation directors at Long term care facilities across Canada opines that their clients enjoy the interaction as groups congregate to watch someone play or take turns trying out an engaging video game. Active sessions with visiting friends and relatives are also admired. Any improvement to balance muscle strength, hand – eye coordination and alertness is considered as an added bonus.

Gaming systems have many applications in diverse areas of rehabilitation — from cardiac and stroke recovery to restoration of speech, motor function or balance after any injury. While conventional physiotherapy in the early stages helped patients progress from partial paralysis to walking with forearm crutches, credit should also be given to the gaming intensive approach that rerbuilt their strength and balance, helping them walk with a better gait.

Gaming has financial and accessibility benefits too. A prolonged personal therapy course could be expensive as compared to buying a console and a set of games and accessories. Coaching and supervision can be done from a remote location with the help of a video link. This eliminates the need for a health professional to travel to your home or for you to visit a distant clinic.

Although gaming can’t replace the more intense, muscle specific structured regime which physiotherapy can cure, but it can certainly be viewed as a complementary tool in the rehabilitation kit. And not to forget it is out and out fun.