Preliminary Study of the Effect of Training With a Gaming Balance Board on Balance Control in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Objective A new protocol based on the use of a gaming balance board for children with cerebral palsy was tested. Design A total of 56 children with cerebral palsy were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. The children in experimental group underwent 12 wks of rehabilitation using their foot to play personal computer games with the proposed balance board, whereas those in the control group played personal computer games with a computer mouse in the standing position. Balance control was assessed before and after the intervention using the Zebris FDM System for measuring the center of pressure. The Pediatric Balance Scale and 2-min walk test were used for evaluating functional balance. Results In the analysis of covariance, the proposed new balance board used for the personal computer games decreased the postural sway (sway path, F = 6.95, P = 0.011; sway area, F = 11.79, P = 0.001) and improved the performance of the functional balance tests. Conclusions This study demonstrated the possibility that this new gaming balance board can be used for balance control in children with cerebral palsy.