One of the most disabling features of Parkinson's disease is the impairment of motor function due to specific symptoms affecting different body districts. The most visible manifestations include slow movements (bradykinesia), gait disor-ders, balance disorders, postural changes, and complex control and coordination of body movements, especially as the disease progresses and symptoms worsen. Healthcare facilities traditionally employ targeted physiotherapy treatments to im-prove patients' motor conditions and increase their perceived safety and inde-pendence in daily activities. Despite the recognized benefits, these treatments are still underutilized in terms of time and accessibility because of the costs and re-sources involved. The paper presents an integrated solution to stimulate physical activity through exergames, i.e., exercises in a virtual game environment, and as-sess motor performance using specific standardized tasks. The new Azure Kinect DK camera and 3D non-contact body tracking libraries implement an easy-to-use vision system. A two-week, exergaming-based experimental protocol involving 12 patients in a healthcare facility was defined to evaluate its potential for future use in home environments. Preliminary results of the pilot study are presented and discussed
Effects of Exergaming on motor performance in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study using Azure Kinect
Claudia Ferraris;Gianluca Amprimo;Giuseppe Pettiti;
2023
Abstract
One of the most disabling features of Parkinson's disease is the impairment of motor function due to specific symptoms affecting different body districts. The most visible manifestations include slow movements (bradykinesia), gait disor-ders, balance disorders, postural changes, and complex control and coordination of body movements, especially as the disease progresses and symptoms worsen. Healthcare facilities traditionally employ targeted physiotherapy treatments to im-prove patients' motor conditions and increase their perceived safety and inde-pendence in daily activities. Despite the recognized benefits, these treatments are still underutilized in terms of time and accessibility because of the costs and re-sources involved. The paper presents an integrated solution to stimulate physical activity through exergames, i.e., exercises in a virtual game environment, and as-sess motor performance using specific standardized tasks. The new Azure Kinect DK camera and 3D non-contact body tracking libraries implement an easy-to-use vision system. A two-week, exergaming-based experimental protocol involving 12 patients in a healthcare facility was defined to evaluate its potential for future use in home environments. Preliminary results of the pilot study are presented and discussedI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.