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Image: A physiotherapist with a patient in a practice room. The patient is sitting at an exercise machine with a monitor in front of him; Copyright: prostooleh

Topic of the Month June 2022

Fighting monotony with apps: Exergames in physiotherapy

Gamification has long since made its way into modern physical therapy. Games make it easy for people of all ages to enjoy their exercises. And that in turn contributes to the success of therapy – whether after a sports injury or in exercise therapy for children. Find out more in our Topic of the Month.

Exergames: leveraging the fun of games to support therapy
Image: A woman is standing in her living room and performs a fitness exercise while wearing VR goggles; Copyright: Prostock-studio
Some patients need physiotherapy after suffering an injury, but the process can be tough and tedious. Depending on the indication, this may necessitate multiple treatment sessions that can span several weeks. Added to this are therapy exercises patients should do at home. The amount of training and repetitions can make it difficult to stay engaged. Gamification in therapy can boost motivation.
Read the article about exergames in physiotherapy and rehab

App supports pediatric movement therapy
Image: Three different smartphone screens showing different analysis graphics of the app; Copyright: Fabienne Erben

Gamification is becoming ever more popular in rehabilitation. Yet it’s not easy to design games that increase motivation and engagement. Fabienne Erben is a student at the Munich University of Applied Sciences who accepted the challenge and homed in on a difficult target group: children.
Read the interview with Fabienne Erben here

Rehabilitation after sports injury: Gamification of exercises in the ExerCube
Image: A man is standing inside a cube with three walls where a virtual game is projected and is touching a point at the wall; Copyright: ZHAW Departement Gesundheit, Bewegungslabor
Returning to a sport after injury can be demanding and arduous as athletes often need to undergo lengthy rehabilitation. Yet even after they have physically recovered from their injury, some may experience mental issues that can make it difficult to return to play and competition. Exercises that combine physical and mental training and challenges in a game setting can be an effective solution.
Read the interview with Dr. Eveline Graf here

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