Active Balance and Cardio Care Intervention on Physical and Cardiovascular Health in People With Chronic Stroke

Neurological impairment such as stroke is a leading cause of adult disability. Traditional rehabilitative therapies can help regain motor function and ameliorate disability. There are increasing community and other facilities offering rehabilitation in the form of conventional, recreational and alternative therapy. However, the implementation of these conventional therapy techniques in individuals with a neurological disorder like stroke is tedious, resource-intensive, and costly, often requiring transportation of patients to specialized facilities. Based on recent evidence suggesting significant benefits of repetitive, task-orientated training, investigators propose to evaluate the feasibility of an alternative therapies such as exergaming-based therapy to improve overall physical function of community-dwelling individuals with neurological impairments, compared to conventional therapeutic rehabilitation. This pilot study aims to systematically obtain data on compliance and efficacy of a randomized controlled trial. The objective of the study is to determine the safety, feasibility, compliance and efficacy of exergaming therapy to improve overall physical function of community-dwelling chronic stroke individuals.

While conventional balance training facilitates balance control and gait functions, the exercises involved in the training are labor-intensive, highly repetitious leading to monotonicity and decreased motivation levels. Therefore, many health care researchers are involved in identifying various methods to reduce the risk of falls addressing the barriers in conventional training methods while having the potential to translate it at home. Pilot studies with dance-based exergaming resulted in improving balance control and cognition post-stroke. Based on this preliminary finding, this current study aimed to identify: 1\. The evaluate using the randomized controlled trial the efficacy of dance-based exergaming on physical function compared to conventional standard of care (fall prevention and balance training) among people with chronic stroke This pilot studies used Wii-fit Nintendo/ Microsoft Kinect, an off the shelf, commercially available and a cost-effective device that provides similar benefits of exergaming. Community-dwelling people with chronic stroke involved in the study underwent 6 weeks of exergaming or conventional balance training in a tapering manner in a laboratory setting. Participants were assessed for motor and cognitive performance in the laboratory during volitional and reactive balance control while performing a secondary cognitive task. The performance outcome determined the effect on physical function.