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N. Kintschner1, A.G. Dionísio Corrêa2, P. Sena Ferreira Figueiredo3, S.M. Blascovi-Assis1
1Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Postgraduate Program in Developmental Disorders, São Paulo, Brazil, 2Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Computer Science, São Paulo, Brazil, 3Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Physiotherapy Course, São Paulo, Brazil
Background: The aging of the world population brings concerns for the quality of life and health care for specific groups. The disabled population, in particular, people with Cerebral Palsy (CP), need motivating proposals for adult life.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a therapeutic program using Virtual Reality games (VR) controlled by Leap Motion Controller sensor (LMC) on the manual function of adults with Cerebral Palsy (CP). The games allow you to develop manual dexterity skills and can be used immersively (headset version) and non-immersive (desktop version).
Methods: The study included five people with CP, over 18 years old, with upper limb paresis, classified as levels II, III and IV by the Manual Skill Classification scale (MACs). The manual function was evaluated before the start of the game program, at the eighth session and at the end of the intervention by the Box and Block Test (TCB) and the Jebsen-Taylor Manual Function Test (TFMJT), which are measures widely used in the literature to quantify motor tasks that involve diverse skills at runtime. To measurement of handgrip, the dynamometry was performed. The proposed program consisted of 15 sessions in frequency of twice a week, in a PC Care Association in the city of São Paulo.
Results: No significant results were found with p≤0.05 values for the grip strength assessments and TFMJT tasks, which indicates stability of the disease. In TCB there was a significant result for the non-dominant hand (p = 0.030) and improvement trends were observed for the dominant hand, with increasing values in the three evaluations. Some games were more motivating and through testimonials, participants showed satisfaction and suggested technical changes to improve usability. Participants were asked about experiences with other VR resources and the use of video games such as the Nintendo Wii, Kinect, Playstation or similar. Only one of them reported having experiences with Nintendo Wii today and another reported having tried it in adolescence.
Conclusion(s): Motivating therapeutic resources should be considered in the therapy of adults with CP because they are innovative and promote improvement in the living conditions of patients with an increase in manual function, self-esteem and, consequently, greater adherence to treatment, once this public performs long-term therapy. In addition, studies on VR and rehabilitation involve cooperation between multidisciplinary teams leading to a better understanding of the phenomena involved in the rehabilitation process such as usability and psychological factors.
Implications: The results showed that there is a need for investments in motivating programs for the adult population with CP and that the use of virtual games is not common with this population, with reports in the literature on the use of this resource with children and young people. It is important to promote information and awareness among the population on the use of technological tools to improve the health and quality of life of different people.
Funding, acknowledgements: Mackenzie Presbyterian University
Keywords: Cerebral Palsy, Virtual Reality, Rehabilitation
Topic: Disability & rehabilitation
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Mackenzie Presbyterian University
Committee: Mackenzie Presbyterian University
Ethics number: 2901639
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
