The Utilization of Nintendo Wii™ in Outpatient Rehabilitation Following Total Knee Replacement

The use of video games in rehabilitation is growing in popularity and frequency. The Nintendo Wii™ gaming system in particular, is gaining increased attention in the rehabilitation setting. There is currently very little evidence to support its clinical use. Canadian total knee replacement (TKR) rates have risen significantly in the past decade and its patient demographic has shifted to reflect a younger overall population. These changes indicate increased emphasis on TKR patients returning to higher levels of function and the potential need for new intervention options when caring for these patients. The Nintendo Wii™ Sports application has the potential to encourage standing, while participating in an interesting and engaging activity. The objective of this study is to determine whether the utilization of the Nintendo Wii™ gaming system, as an adjunct to standard outpatient rehabilitation therapy, influence outcomes of patients following total knee replacement.

Patients who consent to participate in this study will be randomized to either a control group which will receive 15 minutes of lower extremity exercise or a study group which will receive 15 minutes of gaming activity on the Wii Fit™. Both control and study interventions will be provided following each regularly scheduled 60 minute physiotherapy session, in a separate treatment area. The Nintendo Wii™ console and its accompanying Wii™ Sports game will be utilized for the purposes of this study. To minimize rotational movement and therefore the risk of injury following total knee replacement, only the tennis and bowling games will be used. It will be required that these games are played in standing position. Without including the time required for start-up, each session of Nintendo Wii™ game activity will be 15 minutes in duration, and will be provided twice weekly.

Recovery status will be measured in all participants on admission, and every 2 weeks until discharge, an expected average of 5 weeks. A combination of self-administered questionnaires, objective and subjective outcome measures will be used to measure function (2 Minute Walk Test, Lower Extremity Functional Scale) range of motion (Goniometry), pain (Numeric Pain Rating Scale) and satisfaction with therapy services. Change within each measure will be statistically analyzed to detect whether a significant difference exists between control and study groups. It is projected that 60 patients will be recruited for this study. Patients in the study group could potentially benefit from increased improvements in pain, physical status, function, and satisfaction at the completion of their outpatient rehabilitation therapy program.

Inclusion criteria

• Outpatients with full lower extremity weight bearing
• Requiring physiotherapy treatment twice weekly for Total Knee Arthroplasty rehabilitation.

Exclusion criteria

• Individuals with visual impairments
• Active painful osteoarthritis in the contralateral lower extremity
• Patients with uncorrected visual impairments
• English language barriers or impairments to their ability to follow instruction.