Wii-habilitation as balance therapy for children with acquired brain injury

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Nintendo Wii compared to traditional balance therapy in improving balance, motivation, and functional ability in children undergoing acute rehabilitation after brain injury.

Methods: A non-concurrent, randomized multiple baseline single-subject research design was used with three participants. Data were analyzed by visual inspection of trend lines.

Results: Daily Wii balance training was equally motivating to traditional balance therapy for two participants and more motivating for one participant. While improvements in dynamic balance were observed, the results for static balance remain inconclusive. All participants demonstrated improvements in functional ability.

Conclusion: Wii balance therapy is a safe, feasible, and motivating intervention for children undergoing acute rehabilitation after an acquired brain injury. Further research to examine the effectiveness of Wii balance therapy in this population is warranted.

• Nintendo Wii
• balance
• brain injury
• virtual reality
• rehabilitation

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to sincerely thank the participants and their families for their support and commitment in this study. The authors would also like to acknowledge Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children for providing the equipment and facilities for this study and thank the clinicians who participated in the delivery of the intervention with all participants. The authors also wish to thank Dr Bruno Zumbo for his assistance with statistical analysis.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Sandy Tatla is supported by funding from the Child and Family Research Institute.