[Exergames for patients with complex regional pain syndrome : A feasibility study].

BACKGROUND: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a disease of the limbs composed of various disorders and defined by the cardinal symptom of pain. So-called exergames with a combination of physical activity and fun are increasingly being offered as part of treatment. Exergame therapy could also provide CRPS patients with repetitive training, reward and motivation. METHOD: In this study 10 adult patients with CRPS of the hand (50% acute) received a 30min therapy session using MindMotionGO. MindMotionGO is a software that enables control of the integrated games through visual feedback. Outcomes were the subjectively perceived workload (National Aeronautics and Space Administration-task load index, NASA-TLX), user-friendliness (system usability scale, SUS) and pain (numeric rating scale, NRS). RESULTS: The CRPS patients rated the average workload as appropriate with a total score of 50.9 points (SD+/- 18.13). The user-friendliness of the system was judged to be acceptable with an average total score of 89.5+/- 7.53 points. There were no significant changes in pain intensity after the exergames. The subgroup analysis (acute versus chronic) showed differences in the assessment of the individual dimensions of the workload. CONCLUSION: In this study the use of exergames proved to be a suitable tool for rehabilitation of the hand in adult CRPS patients. Whether exergames represent an effective rehabilitation strategy should be examined by means of functional and activity-related target criteria in a representative sample in a randomized controlled study.