International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Open Access

Abstract

The Use of Computer Technology and Game Therapy for the Rehabilitation of Individuals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Review

Rodrigo Martins Dias, Giovanna de Paula Vidigal, Shayan Bahadori, Deborah Cristina Goncalves Luiz Fernani, Maria Tereza Artero Prado Dantas, Marcelo Massa, Carlos Bandeira de Mello Monteiro and Talita Dias da Silva*

The Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a hereditary disease with progressive symptoms that gradually increase physical limitation and causes a reduction of daily activities. There are different possibilities of rehabilitation for DMD, however the use of new technologies with computers can be considered a promising tool to the future of DMD rehabilitation. Therefore, the aim of this review is to identify studies which utilized computer technology to assist rehabilitation in individuals with DMD. Thus, we conducted a structured search in the PubMed, Virtual Health Library (VHL) and cochrane library databases to identify studies related to the use of computer technologies to assist in the rehabilitation of individuals with DMD. This search revealed 10 studies included a total of 252 DMD and 179 typical development participants, ranging in age from 10 to 34 years. Studies have used only upper limb computer task and showed that the application of non-immersive virtual reality was the most used computer technology. Moreover, most studies used low-cost computer technology and probably facilitated access to DMD individuals in a low-income country. Although we found some positive results, we believe that ten studies represent just a first step in the use of computer technology and new studies should be created to improve knowledge in the area.

Published Date: 2024-06-28; Received Date: 2020-07-27