Image by deckhand via Flickr
In the August 2011 edition of Phys Ther Dr. Szturm and his team from Department of Physical Therapy, School of Medical Rehabilitation, University of Manitoba Canada compared traditional physical therapy balance exercises with dynamic balance exercises coupled with video feedback from game play. The study was conducted on a group of 30 community home dwelling and ambulatory older adults in a geriatric day hospital centre. Dr. Szturm’s group found that there was greater improvement in dynamic standing balance control in the video game playing group compared with the improvement seen in the typical exercise program.
The LegTutor and 3DTutor are wearable motion sensor devices that use dedicated rehabilitation software. This allows patients to perform active intensive lower extremity hip, knee, ankle and balance exercises customized to their movement ability in a motivating environment. Physical therapists in major rehabilitation centers worldwide have been using the LegTutor and 3DTutor as a tool for improving the patients functional balance ability in addition to improving the patients movement ability.
