Physical exercises based on virtual reality may be an effective way to improve the motor performance of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, a pilot study suggests.
The study, “Analysis of motor performance in individuals with cerebral palsy using a non-immersive virtual reality task — a pilot study,” was published in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment.
There is growing interest in the use of virtual reality environments to enhance task practice in rehabilitation. Computer-assisted technology has proven to be viable and accessible, particularly to improve motor function in children with cerebral palsy.
The study enrolled 20 participants, ages 6–19, 10 of whom had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy (the other 10 were typically developing individuals). Participants were asked to follow a protocol of physical exercises based on interaction with a computer.
Researchers observed that cerebral palsy patients significantly improved their responsiveness in the last two rounds of the coincident timing task after practicing with the MoveHero exercise. “This is an interesting result that leads to the possible use of virtual tasks for the rehabilitation of individuals with cerebral palsy,” researchers said.
See the full story here: https://cerebralpalsynewstoday.com/2019/03/11/virtual-reality-based-exercises-may-benefit-cp-children-adolescents/