Training and testing Core Control using Virtual Reality games

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Our multi-disciplinary research team has developed custom made computer games focusing on movement co-ordination of the trunk and pelvis, known as the core of the body. In a recent pilot study, a group of children with cerebral palsy were recruited through Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, and over 6 weeks they played variants of the Goblin Post Office game (see video above) on the first CAREN virtual reality system in the UK. In order to understand how their movement skills changed in response to the games training their walking style was tested using clinical gait analysis, and a detailed analysis was made of movement performance recorded while playing the games.

Dissemination of research

The findings of our research have been presented at national and international scientific conferences, and disseminated to physiotherapists in research seminars and postgraduate training programmes. We continue to analyse and publish the results of our research in peer reviewed scientific journals. The novelty and potentially high impact of our research has been recognised by the WellChild Researcher Award 2010. Our findings will be summarised as part of the invited symposia within the 16th Congress of the European College of Sport Science. In an invited keynote presentation coupled with a hands-on workshop our results will be shared with participants of the Clinical Movement Analysis Society (UK and Ireland) meeting in 2012.

What comes next?

The next stage of the research will take place in schools across Merseyside. In order to make the method available to a larger number of children, a portable prototype of the game has been developed. It will be used in schools to train and test children with cerebral palsy, focusing on the core of the body, as well as the ankle, knee, and hip joints.

Principal Investigator:
Dr Gabor Barton MD PhD
Reader in Biomechanics
Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom, L3 3AF.
Contact:
Web: www.ljmu.ac.uk/sps/RISES/115222.htm
Email: G.J.Barton@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)151 904 6263

References

Award Winning Published Output

1.    Barton GJ, Holmes G, Hawken M, Lees A, Vanrenterghem J (2006) A virtual reality tool for training and testing core stability: a pilot study. Abstract / Gait and Posture, 24/Suppl. 2: S101-S102. 1st Joint ESMAC – GCMAS Meeting, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 28-30 Sept. Winner of the Best Poster Prize. Alternative format

2.    Barton GJ (2008) Improving core control of children with cerebral palsy using virtual reality games. 1st Conference of the Institute for Health Research, Liverpool John Moores University. 9 May. Winner of Best combined Oral and Poster Prize.

3.    Foster R, Bass A, Holmes G, Hawken M, Barton GJ (2009). Integration of a portable controller into virtual reality based core training for implementation in clinical practice. 2nd Conference of the Institute for Health Research, Liverpool John Moores University. 15th May. Runner up for Best Poster Prize. Alternative format

4.    Barton GJ, Hawken MB, Butler P, Holmes G, Foster RJ (2010) Movement control of the trunk and pelvis in cerebral palsy diplegia. 3rd Conference of the Institute for Health Research, Liverpool John Moores University. 21st May. Runner up for Best Poster Prize and winner of Special Prize for External Collaboration.

Esteem/awards

1.    The Goblin Post Office computer game developed within the WellChild research project won the 2nd place in the Serious Games category at the Dutch Game Awards 2009.

2.    Winner of WellChild Research Award, 2010.

Peer Reviewed Publications

1.    Hawkins PJR, Hawken MB, Barton GJ (2008) Effect of game speed and surface perturbations on postural control in a virtual environment. Proceedings of the 7th ICDVRAT with ArtAbilitation, Maia, Portugal.

2.    Barton GJ (2010) Virtual rehabilitation – a focus on movement function. Biomechanica Hungarica. 2/2: 7-14.

Published and Peer Reviewed Conference Abstracts

1.    Hayes SC, Barton GJ, Hawken MB, Butler PB, Jarvis SE (2007) Joint specific responses to controlled perturbations in targeted training – a pilot study. Abstract / Gait and Posture, 26/Suppl.1: S75-S76. 16th ESMAC Meeting and Conference, Athens, Greece, 27-29 Sept. Alternative format

2.    Foster RJ, Hawken MB, Barton GJ (2008) Movement co-ordination of the pelvis in a virtual game environment. Abstract / Gait and Posture, 28S: S10-S11. 17th ESMAC Meeting and Conference, Antalya, Turkey, 11-13 Sept.

3.    Barton GJ (2009) Virtual rehabilitation in cerebral palsy. Abstract / Journal of Sports Sciences, 27S1: S3. The Ergonomics Society: 6th International Conference on Sport, Leisure and Ergonomics. 16th Nov. 2007.

4.    Barton GJ, Butler PB, Hawken MB, Jarvis SE (2009) Re-direction of movement perturbation by rotating around the targeted joint. Abstract / Journal of Sports Sciences, 27S1: S3-S4. The Ergonomics Society: 6th International Conference on Sport, Leisure and Ergonomics. 14th Nov. 2007.

5.    Barton GJ, Hawken MB, Butler P, Holmes G, Foster RJ (2009) Movement control of the trunk and pelvis in cerebral palsy diplegia. Abstract / Gait and Posture, 30 (S1):147-8. 18th ESMAC Meeting and Conference, London, UK, 15-19 Sept. Alternative format

6.    Foster RF, Hawken MB, Butler P, Holmes G, Barton GJ (2010) The effects of game training on trunk to pelvis coupling: A case study of a child with Cerebral Palsy. BASES Biomechanics Interest Group Meeting, Bath, 21 April.

7.    Barton GJ, Hawken MB, Foster RJ, Holmes G, Butler PB (2011) Playing the Goblin Post Office game improves movement control of the core: A case study. International Conference on Virtual Rehabilitation, Zurich Switzerland, 27-29 June.