Therapeutic Benefits of Xbox Kinect Training on Upper Limb Motor Function in Chronic Stroke Patients

Objective: The use Xbox Kinect in stroke rehabilitation is recently increased due to its therapeutic effects. The current study aims to investigate the effect of Xbox based Kinect training for rehabilitation of upper limb function in stroke patients. Methods: A single blinded randomized control experiment was carried out on chronic stroke patients referred from the outpatient rehabilitation department of the Railway General Hospital in Rawalpindi. A total of 56 patients were included in the trial, with 50 completing the intervention (25 in the Xbox Kinect Training Group and 25 in the Exercise Training Group). The outcome measures were measured using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) before and after the 6-week intervention. The study was approved by Riphah International University's ethical committee, and all participants signed a written informed consent form before taking part. Results: Mean age of participants in Xbox training group was
$57.48\pm 10.60$
and in exercise training group mean age was 57.68
$\pm 10.43$
. MAS had no significant difference across the two group
$(\mathrm{p}=0.338)$
however, it was significantly improved in both groups (XKTG
$\mathrm{p} < 0.001$
, ETG
$\mathrm{p}=0.009)$
. Significant improvement across group was observed in WMFT
$(\mathrm{p} < 0.001)$
both within subject and across subjects favoring Xbox Kinect training group. Conclusion: When used as adjunct virtual reality training through Xbox Kinect is advantageous in accelerating motor recovery of upper extremity and therefore improves activities of daily living. We recommend virtual reality based training to be a part of routinely rehabilitation techniques for better outcomes in chronic stroke patients.