3-D Video Game May Help Stroke Survivors Regain Lost Motor Skills

A team at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has developed a therapeutic video game for stroke patients who experience hemiparesis, motor weakness that affects 80 percent of stroke survivors. Hemiparesis is defined as the inability to move one side of the body and can affect everyday activities like eating and getting dressed. The 3-D game, which engages patients in activities like rowing and paddling down a river or swatting at bats in a cave, allows them to get high repetition motor practice for their weaker arm. “This novel model of therapy has shown positive results for individuals who have played the game. Gains in motor speed, as measured by the Wolf Motor Function Test, rival those made through traditional [constraint-induced movement] therapy,” says a researcher. “It provides intense high quality motor practice for patients, in their own homes. Patients have reported they have more motivation, time goes by quicker and the challenges are exciting and not so tedious.” Click here to read the full article.