Most therapist will agree that not all patients enjoy doing their
workouts/rehab sessions, and that sometimes it can be a struggle to get clients
through just half of their training session. Well, what if I told you a new
program has been made that not only motivates patients to work on performance
activities, but also pushes clients to work a little harder without them even
knowing it. Thanks to a program created by the University of Southern
California game based rehab lab, we have just that. The game is called Mystic
Isle, and is performed on a system similar to the Wii. In this game, the client
is on a special island, and must complete special task while traveling all over
the island, with the goal being to complete every task on the island. I should
also mention that the special task are all movements related to occupational
performance. A couple of the clients were asked to share about their
experiences with Mystic Isle. Both clients mentioned how they struggled with
certain movements in therapy and that it was becoming annoyingly frustrating,
but after playing the game they were beginning to improve on these movements because
of the fun and motivating aspect of the game. I believe another area that
caused improvement was the competitive aspect that comes along with playing a
video game, everyone always want to beat their high score. As far as the fun
factor, I think it’s great for patients to be able to escape to Mystic Isle for
a while (sometimes gyms can get boring). It is also important to mention that
this game provides assessment, and can be played at home. The fact that it can
be played at home is neat because it allows OTs to assess patients without having
to be there in person.
With me being the nerd that I am, I love video games and mystic
lands. Combining those with occupational therapy is so awesome to me. I don’t
think these game based rehab labs will ever replace one on one treatment, but
it’s great to see them being incorporated and making a difference in the lives
of others. Maybe one day UTHSC can have a game based rehab lab!
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