Experts are using traditional recreation activities and modern technology to treat stroke patients. Both activities are said to aid stroke patients regain their motor skills, but which is a better method?
The study, which was conducted by Canadian researchers and published in the Lancet Neurology, aimed to find out which of virtual reality gaming and traditional recreation activities is better for stroke patients' motor rehabilitation. Researchers studied two groups separately: patients who underwent virtual reality therapy and patients provided with traditional recreation activities.
Virtual Reality Treatment vs. Traditional Recreation Activities
The research found no notable differences between the two groups. Patients in both groups have better dexterity, strength and motor skills after undergoing the treatments.
Basically, any type of motor rehabilitation post-stroke works on patients as long as it is being done intensively and repeatedly, CTV News reported. Stroke rehabilitation care and support is more effective when done alongside traditional or virtual reality treatment sessions, which can last for an hour.
Dr. Gustavo Saposnik, the study's lead author, said there were assumptions that virtual reality therapy is better for stroke patients than traditional ones. Saposnik said it's common for us to associate modern technology with a treatment's effectiveness, but that doesn't mean that old-fashioned treatments aren't beneficial anymore.
Alexis Wieroniey, deputy director of policy & influencing at the Stroke Association in the United Kingdom, said the study's recent findings encourage treatment centers and stroke patients to undertake traditional treatments. The activities are also more practical because they are cheap and can be accessed easily.
Stroke occurs when blood flow to a region of the brain is cut off by a cut or a bleed, according to the National Stroke Association. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and affects almost 800,000 people annually.
Deep Brain Stimulation
Doctors from the Cleveland Clinic are preparing to test the first ever human trial of deep brain stimulation, or DBS, on stroke patients. DBS is a procedure that provides small electric pulses through implanting electrodes in the brain, Time reported.
Experts are hopeful that the electric pulses provided by DBS will help stroke patients regain their motor function and independence before they end up disabled from their condition. DBS has already been used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease like tremors.
It should be noted that DBS is still regarded as a type of brain surgery. This means there are risks involved in the procedure such as bleeding, infection and more surgeries.
