The effect of Wii-Fit games on balance in children with cerebral palsy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of Wii-Fit balance games on standing postural control in children with cerebral palsy
IRAS ID
148605
Contact name
Afrah Almuwais
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
university of southampton
Research summary
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have wide range of impairments of the body structure and function, which impacts their postural control ability. This causes challenges in the ability to adapt to threats to balance, which can make the child feel unstable and therefore they prefer sedentary activities with limited social interaction. Therefore, balance training is part of a physiotherapy treatment plan for a child with CP. The Wii Fit is a fitness game includes balance exercises which are usually played with the Wii balance board (WBB). The use of the Wii-Fit balance games as a balance training has shown a positive improvements in functional balance for children with impaired balance, such as children with lower limb amputations, children with acquired brain injury, and children with CP. Therefore, this study aims to test the effect of the Wii-Fit as a postural control training intervention for children with CP. This study aims to recruit 10 children with CP between the ages of 6 and 16 years old, and ask them to play Wii Fit balance games 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Postural control will be assessed with the Wii balance board (WBB), Paediatric balance scale (PBS) and Timed up and go (TUG). Adherence to training and enjoyment level will be used as secondary outcome measures of feasibility of using Wii fit in rehabilitation. Results from this study will inform rehabilitation clinics about the feasibility and effectiveness of using commercially-available technology in assessing and training postural control.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/0105
Date of REC Opinion
19 Feb 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion