Effects of a balance-based exergaming intervention using the Kinect sensor on posture stability in individuals with Parkinson’s disease: a single-blinded randomized controlled trial

• Published in: Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 78
• Main Authors: Shih, Meng-Che, Wang, Ray-Yau, Cheng, Shih-Jung, Yang, Yea-Ru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 27.08.2016; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Aged; Care and treatment; Equilibrium (Physiology); Exercise Therapy - methods; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Parkinson Disease - rehabilitation; Parkinson's disease; Physiological aspects; Postural Balance; Posture; Single-Blind Method; Video Games; Taiwan; Balance training; Exergaming; Postural stability; Parkinson’s disease
• ISSN: 1743-0003; 1743-0003
• DOI: 10.1186/s12984-016-0185-y

The present study examined the effects of a balance-based exergaming intervention using the Kinect sensor on postural stability and balance in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). We conducted a subject-blinded, randomized controlled study. Twenty people with PD (Hoehn and Yahr stages I through III) were recruited and randomly assigned to either a balance-based exergaming group (N = 10) or a balance training group (N = 10) for an 8-week balance training period. Postural stability was assessed using the limits of stability (LOS) and one-leg stance (OLS) tests. Balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the timed up and go (TUG) test. Participants were assessed pre- and post-training. After training, participants in the balance-based exergaming group showed significant improvements in LOS performance, and in the eyes-closed condition of the OLS test. Both training programs led to improvements in BBS and TUG performance. Furthermore, balance-based exergaming training resulted in significantly better performance in directional control in the LOS test (78.9 ± 7.65 %) compared with conventional balance training (70.6 ± 9.37 %). Balance-based exergaming training resulted in a greater improvement in postural stability compared with conventional balance training. Our results support the therapeutic use of exergaming aided by the Kinect sensor in people with PD. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT02671396.