Exercise video games may improve balance in elderly patients

By Rob Goodier

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Playing Wii Fit Plus three times per week for eight weeks improved the balance of elderly patients with gait and balance problems, according to a pilot study presented May 20 at the American Geriatrics Society annual meeting in Long Beach, California.

"Exergames are an emerging mode of exercise that may engage older adults to exercise and help them improve their balance," lead author Dr. Kalpana Padala, of Little Rock Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center in the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock, and her team wrote in their presentation.

"The use of Wii-Fit Plus exergame is efficacious in improving balance," the researchers said.

The study included 27 patients at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. They were 60 years old or older and had mild to moderate balance problems, defined as a score of 52 or less on the Berg Balance Scale (highest score 56). Half were randomized to the intervention, which was 45 minutes of exercise with the video games three times per week for eight weeks.

The game play is physically active. Wii Fit Plus employs hand controls and a balance board on which the operator stands to manipulate characters on the screen.

The control group exercised their minds instead of their bodies for the 45-minute sessions with cognitive fitness activities.

At the end of the eighth week, the people who played Wii had improved their balance scores by an average of 6.3 points, give or take 1.7, while the brain-fitness group had improved by 0.2 give or take 1.9. The average difference between the groups was 6.1 (p<0.001).

"This study is quite encouraging and adds to the growing body of evidence for balance-focused exercises in frail older adults," said Dr. Michael Wasserman, director of the California Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization at Health Services Advisory Group, Los Angeles, California, who was not involved in the research.

Dr. Padala was not available to comment by press time.

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