A need for meaningful visual feedback of lower extremity function after stroke

With the drive towards early supported discharge from the NHS, there is a need to support stroke survivors in the community with home-based rehabilitation. Computer games and virtual reality systems are increasing in popularity in the rehabilitation setting and seem encouraging in promoting exercise behaviour. However, in commercially available games, the quality of movement used to complete tasks can be commonly overlooked, where games are more focused on the end success of the task. Envisage gait rehabilitation is a study involving a rehabilitation aid that proposes to provide stroke survivors, and their therapists, with accurate visual feedback of their movement performance during gait-related exercises. This tool will provide users with meaningful visual feedback of not only the user's success but of the quality of their movements and their progress with time. This paper reviews current applications of computer games and virtual reality systems involving lower extremity function after stroke and the potential application of envisage gait rehabilitation in community and home-based stroke rehabilitation.