Feasibility of Wii Fit training to improve clinical measures of balance in older adults

Abstract

Background and purposeNumerous interventions have been proposed to improve balance in older adults with varying degrees of success. A novel approach may be to use an off-the-shelf video game system utilizing real-time force feedback to train older adults. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using Nintendo’s Wii Fit for training to improve clinical measures of balance in older adults and to retain the improvements after a period of time.MethodsTwelve healthy older adults (aged >70 years) were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group completed training using Nintendo’s Wii Fit game three times a week for 3 weeks while the control group continued with normal activities. Four clinical measures of balance were assessed before training, 1 week after training, and 1 month after training: Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale, Functional Reach (FR), and Timed Up and Go (TUG). Friedman two-way analysis of variance by ranks was conducted on the control and experimental group to determine if training using the Wii Balance Board with Wii Fit had an influence on clinical measures of balance.ResultsNine older adults completed the study (experimental group n = 4, control group n = 5). The experimental group significantly increased their BBS after training while the control group did not. There was no significant change for either group with FAB, FR, and TUG.ConclusionBalance training with Nintendo’s Wii Fit may be a novel way for older adults to improve balance as measured by the BBS.

Exercise and rehabilitation delivered through exergames in older adults: An integrative review of technologies, safety and efficacy

“…The primary aim of the reviewed studies was to evaluate the potential effect of gaming/VR exercise on balance, either alone (9,12,(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46), in combination with other physical abilities such as strength or mobility (11,13,(47)(48)(49)(50)(51), or in combination with falls or fear of falling, cognition, quality of life, or user experience (52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62). Seven studies investigated the effect of gaming/VR exercise on gait parameters (63)(64)(65)(66)(67)(68)(69), and six studies examined the effectiveness with regard to different physical functions and associated fall risk (10,(70)(71)(72)…”

“…For the 35 studies using Nintendo Wii, two studies used only the Wii Sports bowling game (34,55), while the remaining 33 studies used two or more games during the intervention. Furthermore, 11 of the Nintendo Wii studies used games that targeted balance only (11, 35, 37, 42-44, 47, 57, 58, 73, 82), while 16 used a combination of games that targeted different physical functions in addition to balance, such as strength, endurance, and mobility (10,13,32,40,45,49,52,56,60,69,70,74,77,80,81,86). For those studies that did not utilize Nintendo Wii, only three studies (51,79,84) aimed to have an effect on more than one physical function.…”

“…The progression varied from increasing exercise duration (45,77) (53,69,72), and/or manipulating speed, orientation, size, frequency or shape of obstacles on the screen (33, 45, 59, 60, 63-68, 76, 78). Two studies reported not having any form of progression during the intervention (56,86), while the remaining twenty-six studies did not report whether progression mechanisms were implemented during the intervention.…”

“…Four studies had a time interval until post-test follow-up of less than 6 weeks (41,56,63,80). Only two studies involved longer follow-up, one at six months post intervention (84) and one at nine months post-initial assessments (38).…”

Benefícios do treinamento de exercícios com o Nintendo(r) Wii na população de idosos saudáveis: revisão de literatura

“…The objective evaluation of the dynamic balance was taken into account in seven studies, in which the evaluation instrument was the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) 14 21 .…”