Abstract
There is a need for innovation to improve the engagement and accessibility of rehabilitation programs for children and adults with upper extremity motor impairments due to neurodevelopmental disorders, acquired brain injuries, or spinal cord injuries. For this purpose, a computer game-based telerehabilitation platform (GTP) was developed to address this need. Through the application of a miniature inertial-based computer mouse and the wide variety of commercial computer games, the developed GTP can provide engaging task-specific exercises for the rehabilitation of manual dexterity (object handling and manipulation). A purpose-built repetitive task practice software (RTP) was also developed to gather event data and synchronize it with patient movements during gameplays. This provides automated monitoring and quantification of patients’ motor skills, while they practice a range of game-based exercises with their hand and/or arm. The GTP would initially be used in a supervised clinical setting followed by a transition to function at home and be monitored by clinician specialists. Clinical support for home and rural communities, with protocols that can be easily updated, will help increase accessibility to targeted and personalized solutions for patients and achieve the desired training effect.
Highlights
Published: 27 August 2021Many children and adults with neuromuscular impairments affecting the upper extremity have deficits in fine motor skills [1,2,3,4,5]
A mixed-method exploratory randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to evaluate the disability, acceptance, and benefits of the game-based telerehabilitation platform (GTP) for children diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) [41] The objectives of the study were to explore parental views of the children’s experiences with the exercise program, and to provide an estimate of the treatment effect size that would direct a future full-scale RCT
The experimental group (XG) received the GTP exercise program. This consisted of task practice of between six to eight object manipulation tasks coupled to several computer games
Summary
Many children and adults with neuromuscular impairments affecting the upper extremity have deficits in fine motor skills [1,2,3,4,5]. The motion signals are used to control the position and motion of virtual avatars/objects, or to control a game paddle for play These systems are limited because they do not target object handling and manipulation. The handle is grasped and moved using pronation-supination or elbow and shoulder motion [30] This rehab gaming system involves a limited number of object manipulation tasks that can be coupled with computer games. There is a large number of inexpensive and readily available common and modern commercial games that are engaging, therapeutic, and can be played with a computer mouse or an equivalent [31,32,33] Another rehabilitation system uses an iPhone, fitted to 3D printed objects (e.g., coffee mugs, bowls). The GTP organizes space of game interactions into two interrelated categories, physical space, and digital space
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