Pilot study
An innovative cycling exergame to promote cardiovascular fitness in youth with cerebral palsy
Knights S, Graham N, Switzer L, Hernandez H, Ye Z, Findlay B, Xie W Y, Wright V & Fehlings D
Developmental Neurorehabilitation 2016 19(2): 135-140
DOI: 10.3109/17518423.2014.923056
Objective: For youth with cerebral palsy, will playing an exergame increase cardiovascular fitness?
Procedure: The participants were 8 children with spastic bilateral cerebral palsy (GMFCS level III), able to use a hand-held video controller to play an internet-based multi-player game over a six week trial. They exercised at home at least three days a week for 30 minutes a day and tasked to achieve their individually calculated target heart rate for at least 30 minutes a week.
Findings: The primary measure was the GMFCS level III-specific shuttle run test; where higher levels indicate higher cardiovascular fitness. Participants walk or run a distance of 7.5 meters with increasingly less time until they fail to make the distance in the time given, twice. The children were tested before and two days after the six week intervention. The results showed a significant improvement of an average of 1.7 levels on the shuttle run test. Other outcome measures did not show changes that were significant.