Randomized Trial
Video-game based therapy performed by children with cerebral palsy: a cross-over randomized controlled trial and a cross-sectional quantitative measure of physical therapy
Zoccolillo, L., Morelli, D., Cincotti, F., Muzzioli,L., Gobbetti, T., Paolucci, S. & Iosa, M.
Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2015 Feb 5.
Link to abstract: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25653079
Objective: In children with cerebral palsy, does video gaming intervention improve upper limb motor movements, hand function (and have more movements) compared to conventional, Bobath-based therapy?
Method: 22 children, 4 to 14 years old, with cerebral palsy (GMFCS levels I – IV) received 16 sessions of conventional therapy before or after 16 sessions of video game therapy, over a period of 8 weeks. QUEST (Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test) was used to assess upper extremity function and Abilhand-kids for hand ability. Instrumentation was applied to the childrens’ forearms to quantify movements.
Findings: Upper limb functioning measured by QUEST improved more with video gaming than with conventional therapy. Manual ability improved better with conventional therapy. Video gaming resulted in more movements than conventional therapy.