Rehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Lyndhurst Centre, 520 Sutherland Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M4G 3V9 Canada.
Med Eng Phys. 2011 Mar;33(2):249-55. doi: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2010.10.010. Epub 2010 Oct 30.
A video game-based training system was designed to integrate neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and visual feedback as a means to improve strength and endurance of the lower leg muscles, and to increase the range of motion (ROM) of the ankle joints. The system allowed the participants to perform isotonic concentric and isometric contractions in both the plantarflexors and dorsiflexors using NMES. In the proposed system, the contractions were performed against exterior resistance, and the angle of the ankle joints was used as the control input to the video game. To test the practicality of the proposed system, an individual with chronic complete spinal cord injury (SCI) participated in the study. The system provided a progressive overload for the trained muscles, which is a prerequisite for successful muscle training. The participant indicated that he enjoyed the video game-based training and that he would like to continue the treatment. The results show that the training resulted in a significant improvement of the strength and endurance of the paralyzed lower leg muscles, and in an increased ROM of the ankle joints. Video game-based training programs might be effective in motivating participants to train more frequently and adhere to otherwise tedious training protocols. It is expected that such training will not only improve the properties of their muscles but also decrease the severity and frequency of secondary complications that result from SCI.
一个基于视频游戏的训练系统被设计用来整合神经肌肉电刺激（NMES）和视觉反馈，以提高小腿肌肉的力量和耐力，并增加踝关节的活动范围（ROM）。该系统允许参与者使用 NMES 进行等长向心收缩和等长收缩。在提出的系统中，收缩是在外部阻力下进行的，踝关节的角度被用作视频游戏的控制输入。为了测试所提出系统的实用性，一名患有慢性完全性脊髓损伤（SCI）的个体参与了研究。该系统为训练肌肉提供了渐进性的过载，这是肌肉训练成功的前提。参与者表示他喜欢基于视频游戏的训练，并希望继续治疗。结果表明，训练导致瘫痪的小腿肌肉力量和耐力显著提高，踝关节的 ROM 增加。基于视频游戏的训练计划可能会有效地激励参与者更频繁地训练，并坚持其他乏味的训练方案。预计这种训练不仅会改善他们肌肉的性能，还会减轻因 SCI 而导致的继发性并发症的严重程度和频率。
