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Training on the game console helpful in rheumatism
Can training help with a game console for rheumatism patients? This question has been investigated by scientists of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin in a recent study. The result was quite positive. In particular, "the motivational aspect of a game console plays a central role, regardless of the patient's age and duration of illness," according to the latest release from the Charité.
In their study, the researchers examined "whether an animated home exercise program using a game console is feasible and rewarding for regular, targeted training in rheumatic diseases." The exercises are well suited for patients who otherwise do not receive physiotherapy treatment Scientist. Their results have been published in the journal "BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders".
In rheumatoid arthritis, the joints are increasingly destroyed and limited in their function. Training on the game console can help to maintain the mobility longer. (Picture hriana / fotolia.com) Keep joint function as long as possible
Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of chronic inflammatory joint disease. In the long term, the joints take considerable damage from the disease, which is associated with increased movement restrictions. "In order to keep the functions of the joints as long as possible, physiotherapy and physical activity are of central importance for rheumatism patients", explain the researchers of the Charité. Many sufferers lack guidance on exercise and / or access to exercise therapy.
Game console training with positive effects
Here, exercise programs using a game console can actually be an alternative, supportive option for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the researchers report. According to study author Jan Zernicke from the Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at the Charité, training on the game console has "comparable effects compared to traditional home-based physiotherapy exercises". In addition, with the game console training "more fun in the treatment concept can be brought, which increases the adherence and thus the effectiveness," said Zernicke.
New training method tested on rheumatoid patients
In the pilot study, training on the game console was tested on patients with rheumatoid arthritis for half a year. All subjects showed a low disease activity under therapy with a biological basic drug, reports the Berlin Charité. First, a detailed introduction to the independent training. 15 patients learned a conventional home-based physiotherapy exercise program and another 15 patients took a defined animated exercise program at a game console. "After twelve weeks, the patients switched to the other treatment group for a treatment period of twelve weeks," reports the Berlin Charité.
Improvement of physiological functions
The evaluation of the results has shown that exercise programs on game consoles for home use definitely have a therapeutic effect. "Both groups show the same after the therapy period," reports Zernicke. The total muscle strength had increased by about twelve percent and the walking performance has increased by an average of five percent. The benefits of temporal flexibility and entertaining execution seem to offset the disadvantage of undirected and possibly non-optimal movement execution, according to the Charité.
Encouraging research results
According to the researchers, the results are encouraging for patients with rheumatic diseases. Together with their physiotherapists and rheumatologists, a complementary treatment with this or similar animated exercise programs can be discussed. Also, the physiotherapeutic care from a distance via PC and webcam is no longer a fiction today. In area countries such as Canada, these are already being practiced and could be a supplementary option for treating rheumatism. (Fp)