Stroke is a clinical illness characterised by rapid onset and caused by a vascular-related localised impairment of brain function.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 800,000 Americans have a stroke each year, or about one every 40 seconds, and two-thirds of stroke survivors report being unable to use their affected limbs for normal daily activities such as making a cup of coffee, eating a meal, or playing with their grandchildren.
Patients rarely follow traditional rehabilitation or home exercises because they are repetitive, rigorous, time-consuming, expensive, inconvenient, and monotonous. This is especially true for rural patients who drive vast distances.
For a more engaging and enjoyable experience, a group of researchers, including one from the University of Missouri, developed Recovery Rapids. It’s a motion-sensor video game that allows stroke patients to regain motor skills in the comfort of their own homes while using telehealth to monitor and assess their progress.
Researchers discovered that patients look forward to their rehabilitation by completing various challenges, which leads to improved outcomes, similar to a well-known form of traditional therapy known as Constraint-induced therapy. The patients also adhered well to the prescribed exercises, despite the fact that none of these require a fifth of the therapist’s time.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, its popularity skyrocketed. As the patients develop, the obstacles become more difficult.
The team made sure to check in with the participants via telehealth to adjust goals, provide comments, and discuss the everyday activities that the patients would like to continue as they improve.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
