Could video game-based physical rehabilitation substitute for conventional physiotherapy in patients with glioma? A proof-of-concept study.

Purpose: The present study investigated the clinical feasibility of replacing a part of conventional physiotherapy (PT) with Nintendo Wii® for the recovery of motor function and activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with glioma.

Methods: This study included 10 patients with first-episode gliomas who were admitted to the neurosurgery department of a tertiary hospital. According to the patients' preferences, they were allocated to conventional PT or Wii® rehabilitation groups in which a part of the conventional PT sessions were replaced with Wii® training. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) measures were compared between the treatment groups using the Mann-Whitney U test.

Results: The Wii® rehabilitation and conventional PT groups included four (age 39 [26-53] years, n = 2 each WHO grade III and IV) and six patients (age 72 [59-80] years; all WHO grade IV), respectively. No patient dropouts were observed. The beneficial changes did not differ significantly between the conventional PT and Wii® groups (FMA: 1.0 vs. 1.5, SPPB: - 1.0 vs. - 0.5, FIM: - 2.5 vs. 2.5, HAD: 6 vs. 0). No adverse events such as falls were observed in either treatment group.

Conclusion: Wii® rehabilitation had comparable effects with conventional PT for the inpatient rehabilitation of patients with glioma, with no adverse effects. Wii® rehabilitation showed potential as a home-based training modality because no physical assistance was required. Further investigation will be required because of the selection bias as a non-randomized trial.

Implications for cancer survivors: Exergame Wii® could be an effective rehabilitation tool for brain tumor patients.