Effectiveness of a Nintendo Wii balance board exercise programme on standing balance of children with cerebral palsy: A randomised clinical trial protocol

BackgroundPatients with cerebral palsy (CP) typically receive limited physical therapy services. However, the Nintendo Wii system offers a simple and affordable mode of virtual reality therapy. There are no clinical trials assessing the Nintendo Wii balance board for improving standing balance in CP.MethodsThis randomised clinical trial will evaluate the effectiveness of an 18-session/six-week protocol using Wii therapy (W-t) compared with conventional therapy (C-t) in Chilean CP patients. The C-t group will perform the typical exercises prescribed by physical therapists for 40 min each session. W-t will consist of a virtual reality training session using the Nintendo Wii balance board console for 30 min each session. The primary outcome variable is the area of centre-of-pressure (CoP) sway (CoPSway). The secondary outcomes are the standard deviation (SDML; SDAP) and velocity (VML; VAP) of CoP in the ML and AP directions. For a mean difference of 21.5 cm2 (CoPSway) between the groups, we required a minimum of 16 participants in each group. Data will be collected at baseline (week 0), during the study (weeks 2 and 4), at the end of the study (week 6), and during the follow-up (weeks 8 and 10). Measurements of postural control during quiet standing for both groups will be assessed on a force platform AMTI OR67.DiscussionThis is the first trial that measures and compares the effects of a Nintendo Wii Balance Board exercise programme on standing balance in children with cerebral palsy compared to conventional therapy.