Shoulder flexion rehabilitation in patients with monoparesia using an exergame

Purpose - Pyramidal syndrome is a neuromotor disorder that affects quality of life of 1 out of 12,000 people around the world and most people in their middle- old age. Conventional methods are used generally for the rehabilitation of this disorder and studies are currently trying to rehabilitate patients through interaction with serious video games focused on health. This study proposes a combination of the two methods to find improvements in the flexion angle of shoulder affected by upper motor neurone lesion in patients of the “Clinica de Dolor del Eje Cafetero”. Methodology - 6 patients (3 patients with sequels of stroke, 1 patient with sequels of TBI and 2 patients with sequels of cerebral palsy) were taken into consideration. All patients suffered monoparesia in upper limb. Each patient had 7 sessions of rehabilitation. Each session of rehabilitation lasted for 30 minutes of assisted therapy and another 30 minutes with therapies of VR, where the movements of flexion of the shoulder affected through the Kinect sensor were recorded while the patient interacted with the video game. A biomechanical analysis with the Bio-Cirac software developed to load data from MoCap and show angle graphs was performed. Results - the patient who achieved the best results showed 21.0 % of improvement in the angle of flexion of the affected shoulder and improvement in muscular endurance and control of their affected limb. Conclusion - VR and serious video games specifically designed for particular pathologies are potentially useful technologies that can be combined with conventional methods to improve the angle of amplitude of flexion of the shoulder affected in patients with sequels of upper motor neurone lesion. In addition VR offers immersive experiences favorable for dissipation of pain, fatigue, setting goals and enjoyment of the activity.