ISSN: 2165-7025

Journal of Novel Physiotherapies
Open Access

Our Group organises 3000+ Global Conferenceseries Events every year across USA, Europe & Asia with support from 1000 more scientific Societies and Publishes 700+ Open Access Journals which contains over 50000 eminent personalities, reputed scientists as editorial board members.

Open Access Journals gaining more Readers and Citations
700 Journals and 15,000,000 Readers Each Journal is getting 25,000+ Readers

This Readership is 10 times more when compared to other Subscription Journals (Source: Google Analytics)
  • Research Article   
  • J Nov Physiother 2015, Vol 5(2): 261
  • DOI: 10.4172/2165-7025.1000261

Balance Rehabilitation using Xbox Kinect among an Elderly Population: A Pilot Study

Laurence Beaulieu-Boire1, Samuel Belzile-Lachapelle1, Audrée Blanchette1, Pier-Olivier Desmarais1, Lysandre Lamontagne-Montminy1, Christina Tremblay1, Hélène Corriveau1,2 and Michel Tousignant1,2*
1Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Rehabilitation, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
2Research Centre on Aging, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
*Corresponding Author : Michel Tousignant, Research Centre on Aging, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, 1036 Belvédère Sud, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, Tel: 819-780-2220, Fax: 819-829-7141, Email: michel.tousignant@usherbooke.ca

Received Date: Apr 14, 2015 / Accepted Date: Apr 22, 2015 / Published Date: Apr 28, 2015

Abstract

With the current aging of the population, falls among the elderly has become a major concern for health care professionals. One major component of fall prevention is balance training, which could be achieved using the Microsoft Xbox Kinect. This video game platform uses motion sensors to capture participants’ movements and to provide visual feedback. In addition to its use for recreational purposes, it has the potential to be a great home-based tool for balance rehabilitation. The objectives of the current study are to assess its efficacy as a single tool for balance training, as well as measuring the population’s interest in this approach. Three participants with balance problem were included in this multiple-case study. They all completed the standardised 10-week program consisting of two 30-minute sessions of balance training through Kinect per week in addition to their usual multidisciplinary treatments. They were evaluated before the intervention (T0) and immediately after (T1). The following outcomes were assessed: 1) balance (Berg Balance Scale [BBS]), 2) mobility (Timed Up-and-Go [TUG]), 3) walking speed on 5m, 4), lower limb strength (Sit-to- Stand [STS]), 5) fear of falling (Activity-Specific Balance Confidence Scale [ABC Scale]) and 6) satisfaction (modified Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology [QUEST]). We observed an improvement in BBS, TUG and ABC scores for every participant. However, the STS score improved for two of the three participants and the walking speed stayed the same for everybody. Moreover, all of the participants were satisfied with their experience. Overall, the results showed that the Xbox Kinect could be a great adjunct to a multidisciplinary treatment to improve balance. Nevertheless, high-quality studies with more powerful designs are needed to prove the efficacy and applicability of this approach for balance rehabilitation.

Keywords: Balance; Rehabilitation; Satisfaction; Xbox Kinect

Citation: Beaulieu-Boire L, Belzile-Lachapelle S, Blanchette A, Desmarais PO, Lamontagne-Montminy L, et al. (2015) Balance Rehabilitation using Xbox Kinect® among an Elderly Population: A Pilot Study. J Nov Physiother 5:261. Doi: 10.4172/2165-7025.1000261

Copyright: © 2015 Beaulieu-Boire L, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Top