NeuroBall gaming tool provides boost for stroke survivors

Published: 26-Feb-2019

Device helps stroke sufferers regain arm and hand control

  • The UK’s estimated 1.5 million stroke survivors now have a much-more entertaining way to perform their daily rehabilitation exercises
  • Once discharged from hospital, tedious daily exercises are often neglected, meaning many people never recover full motor control of their arms and hands
  • With the ‘NeuroBall’, stroke survivors can play fun games like Scuba Search, Space Shooters and Solitaire to stay engaged and active
  • Leading UK neurologist, Professor Nick Ward, consultant at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, supports need for technology like the NeuroBall in improving rehabilitation

A first-of-a-kind gaming device that has been shown to significantly improve the outcomes of stroke survivors by helping them regain strength and movement in their stricken arms and hands has been launched.

Created by Neurofenix, a London-based team of engineers, medical experts and designers; the NeuroBall is a one-size-fits-all controller that enables stroke survivors to play video games via an app, which makes their regular rehabilitation exercises entertaining and fun.

The NeuroBall was developed over a two-year period in conjunction with stroke survivors, their families, therapists, and physicians.

Neurofenix wanted to create something that would encourage stroke survivors to keep doing the vital daily exercises that are crucial to regaining upper limb use.

In preliminary trials, Brunel University London carried out a study with Neurofenix involving 30 stroke sufferers using the NeuroBall and app at their homes for seven weeks.

Users of the NeuroBall reported improved wrist and shoulder movement and reduced impairment of the arm, as well as greater social participation.

Emerging technologies, such as the NeuroBall, can play a role in encouraging people to perform higher amounts of the right activities, and can do it in a way that might be more entertaining than traditional exercises

With 1.5 million stroke survivors in the UK, this self-administered home-based rehab method could be a huge help to an increasingly-overstretched health system.

London-based NeuroBall user, Shona Patterson, who had a stroke four-and-a-half years ago, said: “Trying to motivate yourself is quite hard. I was getting bored with my daily routine of stretching and lifting weights.

“One day after I had finished using the NeuroBall, I checked the level I could reach with my hand and discovered I could put my hand on top of my head, which was the first time I had ever been able to do that. I could do it straightaway.

“I was ranting about how excited I was because it is amazing after four-and-a-half years to still feel you can achieve things.”

A massive 85% of stroke survivors experience arm weakness or paralysis and only 20%-56% regain complete movement and control within three months, after which most people are discharged from inpatient rehab to continue their recovery training at home.

Once home, there is a high dropout rate from the daily exercises that are usually considered boring and repetitive and, without continued support, forgotten or ignored. This means many people never recover full motor control of their stricken arm and hand.

The Brunel University-Neurofenix study showed that despite being primarily older, with an average age of 60, and varying levels of mental and physical impairment, the test group was able to learn how to use the NeuroBall and app independently at home after just 98 minutes of training.

They played an average of 17.4 hours, or 149 minutes per week, exercising their arm 15,092 times with minimum input of just 2.3 hours from the Brunel physiotherapists. Within an hour of play, NeuroBall users are able to complete 840 exercise repetitions, or 14 per minute.

Animal studies on neuroplasticity demonstrate that 400-600 repetitions per day of challenging functional tasks can lead to changes in the brain.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends a minimum of 45 minutes of each active therapy for stroke sufferers at least five days a week, but current data shows most patients do not achieve this.

Leading UK neurologist, Professor Nick Ward, consultant at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, said: “Currently stroke survivors are not getting the rehabilitation they need and this is having a significant impact on the extent of recovery each person can expect.

Research into stroke rehabilitation shows that intensity of practice is a key factor in meaningful recovery. The more practice, in terms of both training time and increased repetitions, the better

“They will need improved access to specialists who can show them what they need to do in order to achieve the best recovery.

“Emerging technologies, such as the NeuroBall, can play a role in encouraging people to perform higher amounts of the right activities, and can do it in a way that might be more entertaining than traditional exercises.

“In addition, these technologies afford the possibility to measure activity and performance so that the person's progress can be monitored and the treatment can be adjusted to maximise individual benefit.”

Guillem Singla Buxarrais, co-founder and chief executive of Neurofenix, added: “Research into stroke rehabilitation shows that intensity of practice is a key factor in meaningful recovery. The more practice, in terms of both training time and increased repetitions, the better.

“The problem is that for most people, integrating this into their daily lives becomes a bore.

“This is where the NeuroBall has proven so successful as it makes the repetitive exercises something fun and sociable.

“It enables stroke survivors to complete hundreds of repetitions in the comfort of their own home without even thinking about it.

“This gaming tool can help hospitals and physios increase their patients’ training to get better results with a minimum time and money investment.”

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