Evaluation of Cervical Posture Improvement of Children with Cerebral Palsy After Physical Therapy with a HCI Based on Head Movements and Serious Videogames

Abstract

Abstract. This paper presents the preliminary results of a novel rehabilitation therapy for cervical and trunk control of children with cerebral palsy (CP). The therapy is based on the use of an inertial sensor that will be used to control a set of serious videogames with movements of the head. Ten users with CP participated in the study, in the experimental and control groups. Ten sessions of therapy provided improvements in head and trunk control that were higher in the experimental group for Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and Trunk Control Measurement Scale (TCMS). Significant differences (27% vs. 2% of percentage improvement) were found between the experimental and control groups for TCMS (p<0.05). The kinematic assessment shows that there are some improvements in active and passive range of motion, but no significant differences were found pre-and after-therapy. This new strategy, together with traditional rehabilitation therapies, could allow the child to reach maximum levels of function in the trunk and cervical regions.

HeadUp: A Low-Cost Solution for Tracking Head Movement of Children with Cerebral Palsy Using IMU

“…Many researchers have investigated some of these methods for training children with CP to achieve better head control [11,37,38], especially between 1970 and 1990 [7,[39][40][41][42]. Harris et al [7] developed an electronic device that can be placed in an oversized helmet to monitor head movement while converting this movement to electrical signals, providing auditory guidance to achieve an upright position.…”

Device and method for the biomechanical analysis of articular amplitude using micro-sensors for the measurement of movement

“…In veterinary medicine, it can be used for rehabilitation and the evaluation of movement in animals [7][8][9]. It can also be used in designing active video games [10][11][12], in the recreation or construction of animated silhouettes from human movement, among other uses. This research presents a new device that is capable of obtaining data on the position, orientation and measurement of the angular amplitude of a human articular system.…”