Commercially available interactive video games are commonly used in rehabilitation to aide in physical recovery from a variety of conditions and injuries, including burns. Most video games were not originally designed for rehabilitation purposes and although some games have shown therapeutic potential in burn rehabilitation, the physical demands of more recently released video games, such as Microsoft Xbox Kinect™ (Kinect) and Sony PlayStation 3 Move™ (PS Move), have not been objectively evaluated. Video game technology is constantly evolving and demonstrating different immersive qualities and interactive demands that may or may not have therapeutic potential for patients recovering from burns. This study analyzed the upper extremity motion demands of Kinect and PS Move using three-dimensional motion analysis to determine their applicability in burn rehabilitation. Thirty normal children played each video game while real-time movement of their upper extremities was measured to determine maximal excursion and amount of elevation time. Maximal shoulder flexion, shoulder abduction and elbow flexion range of motion were significantly greater while playing Kinect than the PS Move (p≤0.01). Elevation time of the arms above 120° was also significantly longer with Kinect (p<0.05). The physical demands for shoulder and elbow range of motion while playing the Kinect, and to a lesser extent PS Move, are comparable to functional motion needed for daily tasks such as eating with a utensil and hair combing. Therefore, these more recently released commercially available video games show therapeutic potential in burn rehabilitation. Objectively quantifying the physical demands of video games commonly used in rehabilitation aides clinicians in the integration of them into practice and lays the framework for further research on their efficacy.
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Electronic media such as mobile phones, social media, computers, televisions, and video games are dominant in adolescents' lives. There is a growing concern that rising rates of electronic media use may be related to behavioral and emotional problems. The aim of the present study was to examine associations of adolescents' electronic media use with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Study participants were 99 adolescents (39 males, 60 females), 12-18 years old, as well as 93 parents (12 fathers and 81 mothers). Internet addiction was evaluated by the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and behavioral/emotional problems by the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment. Parents reported on their adolescent's attention and hyperactivity problems on the ADHD Rating Scale-5. Electronic media used by the adolescents were computer (40.4%), tablet (44.4%), PlayStation (40.4%), Facebook (43.4%), whereas 72.7% had an account on social networks. They watched TV from 0 to over 4 h every day; specifically, 51.5% from 0 to 2 h, while only 1% over 4 h. Most of them (78.8%) used internet daily, 28.3% used internet about 6-10 h, and 24.2% used it over 20 h to watch videos on YouTube (20,2%), searched for school information (14,1%), connected with social media (13.1), played games (12.1%), looked for information on products and services (12.1%), etc. Eighty respondents (80.8%) were average internet users (IAT < 40), 19 (19.2%) had possible addiction (IAT 40-69), while no one (0%) had severe addiction (IAT ≥ 70). The Internet Αddiction scale was found to have statistically significant correlations with many of the subscales of the Achenbach questionnaire and the attention-deficit subscale of the ADHD questionnaire.Statistically significant positive correlations were found between possible internet addiction with rule-breaking behavior, problems like thought, externalization, behavioral, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and post-traumatic stress. Results suggest that misuse of electronic media may be related to ADHD traits among Greek adolescents. As rates of electronic media use among teenagers are increasing, these findings should be taken into account to protect the social, cognitive, and psychological health of adolescents. Effective interventions are needed to target specific types of electronic media use in adolescence.
BACKGROUND: Exergames are increasingly used to promote physical activity (PA) and exercise engagement among young adults; however, enjoyment and awareness may vary depending on the device and user experience. This may influence the willingness to engage in PA using such technologies. In this study, differences in enjoyment across several exergame platforms and awareness and perceptions of exergame use among young adults were examined. The study provides a head-to-head comparison of enjoyment across five exergame platforms in young adults and identifies limited technology adoption as a potential barrier to scalable PA promotion. METHODS: In the cross-sectional, single-session observational study, a total of 227 students (122 women, 105 men; mean age 19.6 ± 0.26 years; body mass index 22.3 ± 0.52 kg/m², PA estimated with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire 8035.8 ± 6127.2 MET) participated. Participants engaged with five devices during one laboratory visit: PlayStation VR (PS4), Nintendo Wii Fit (NWF), Dance Revolution (DR), Ring Fit Adventure (RFA), and Meta Quest 2 VR Headset (VR). All participants played all devices for 10 min (randomized order), but group comparisons reflect assignment to one device for detailed evaluation. The exposure was provided with no manipulation intended to modify physical fitness, health status, or behaviour. The main outcomes were exergame enjoyment assessed with the Exergame Enjoyment Questionnaire (EEQ, 20 items) and awareness/evaluations assessed with a custom survey completed once for a randomly assigned device. RESULTS: Groups did not differ in age, BMI, or overall PA levels (p > .05). Enjoyment differed significantly across devices (p < .001); the VR group reported the highest enjoyment, exceeding PS4, NWF, DR, and RFA (p < .05). Awareness outcomes showed no consistent group differences, and technology adoption was modest overall (technology use 37%; health-monitoring technology 34%). Exergame evaluations varied: DR and RFA were most often rated “best for training” (p = .005) and “most engaging” (p < .001), whereas VR and PS4 more frequently made the strongest impression (p = .004). Perceived “biggest effects” most often favoured DR and RFA (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Immersive VR exergames elicited the highest enjoyment, while games such as DR and RFA were rated most effective for training. Despite these positive evaluations, awareness and adoption among young adults remained modest, highlighting the need to leverage exergames not only as entertainment but also as scalable tools for promoting PA and health. This study offers a comparative evaluation of multiple exergame platforms and indicates that insufficient adoption of PA-related technologies may constrain their broader public health impact. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07235631); registered on 2 October 2025.
Electronic sport (esport) refers to competition in video games. Injuries in esports have hardly been studied so far. A total of 1229 e-athletes of all levels and genres answered a retrospective questionnaire about injuries and overuse damages that occurred in the course of their careers. The average age of the 1229 participants was 23.8 ± 5.5 years. A total of 198 (16.1%) of the e-athletes take part in competitions. The most common injury location was the trunk/spine (319, 26.0%) followed by the wrist region (225, 18.3%). Degenerative and overuse injuries were in the foreground. Professional athletes were injured more frequently than amateur athletes (p = 0.006). Tactical shooter players have significantly more injuries than sports game players (p = 0.021) and MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) players (p = 0.042). E-athletes are just as susceptible to injury as athletes in traditional disciplines. The high injury rate is certainly not due to acute injuries but to overloading and overuse injuries, with a focus on the thoracocervical area and the upper extremities. Terms such as "Nintenditis", "gamer's thumb" and "PlayStation thumb", which describe injuries caused by repetitive strain, are becoming increasingly common. Injuries in esports should be taken seriously, as they can cause long-term health problems in the event of overuse injuries. Prevention is a critical and promising approach for such a young patient clientele, especially in a sport that is growing so rapidly and is unknown to the majority.
Exergaming, which combines physical activity with interactive gaming, has been shown to improve motor skills and fitness. However, exergaming's potential in complex, open-skill sports such as tennis, which require real-time coordination, decision-making, and technical precision, remains underexplored. Furthermore, only a few studies have evaluated the impact of exergaming on both technical skill development and psychological outcomes such as motivation and confidence, especially among novice players. This study addresses these gaps by comparing the combination of exergame-based tennis training and on-court tennis training (EBTT+OCTT) with on-court tennis training alone (OCTT×2) in improving technical skills, grip strength, confidence, and motivation. This study aims to assess the effect of exergaming tennis in developing tennis technical skills, grip strength, confidence level, and motivation level. In a 12-week quasi-experimental trial, 66 novices were randomized to either the EBTT+OCTT or the OCTT×2 group. Participants consisted of 22 males and 44 females, with the mean BMI and age of approximately 22 (SD 2.9) kg/m2 and 26 (SD 7) years, respectively. The EBTT+OCTT group had 1 weekly session of OCTT and 1 session of exergaming training using Virtual Tennis (PlayStation 3 Move), while the OCTT×2 group completed 2 weekly on-court sessions. Outcomes included tennis technical skills such as groundstroke technique, service speed, and service accuracy (assessed using the Hewitt tennis test), grip strength (using a handheld dynamometer), confidence (using the Sports Confidence Inventory), and motivation (using the Sport Motivation Scale). Mean differences (MDs) between pre- and postintervention were collected and analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA (α=.05) and Pearson correlation analysis. Effect sizes were calculated using partial eta squared (ηp²), where values ≥0.14 indicated large effects. After 12 weeks of training, both EBTT+OCTT and OCTT×2 groups showed significant improvements (P<.001) in tennis technical skills (MD=17.06-22.62), grip strength (MD=9.59-11.04 kg), and confidence levels (MD=23.29-26.28). These outcome measures have large effect sizes (ηp²=0.84-0.92); however, they did not significantly differ (P>.05) across the groups when compared, with Pgrip strength=.24, Phit=.97, Paccuracy=.86, Pspeed=.72, and Pconfidence=.31. In terms of motivation, EBTT+OCTT retained intrinsic motivation (IM) better than OCTT×2, with significant reductions in IM, mainly IM-to-know (MD=7, SD 2.95) and IM-to-accomplish (MD=5, SD 3.77) observed in the OCTT×2 group (P<.001). Grip strength, confidence, and motivation levels (except amotivation) showed positive correlations with tennis technical skills (r=0.39-0.80). EBTT+OCTT and OCTT×2 significantly improve tennis skills and confidence levels in novice players, although no significant differences were found between the two. However, EBTT+OCTT appeared to better sustain IM. Thus, EBTT+OCTT may serve as a supplementary tool for novice players to better learn tennis.
The elderly population is growing rapidly, with a significant portion facing challenges related to balance and mobility. Importance of implementation of an effective fall prevention and balance training programme as an essential activity of daily living for elderly is still understated in national literature and policy. Conventional postural stability (PS) and mobility training programmes often face limitations in terms of provision of adequate challenge, engagement and adherence. Virtual reality (VR) technology has emerged as a promising tool in healthcare, with potential applications in PS training for the elderly. VR based PS training provides a fun and engaging environment resulting in enhanced motivation, with appropriate intensity and high frequency intervention. While individually designed VR systems are expensive; a range of commercially available full body motion platform based gaming systems such as Nintendo Wii Fit, Xbox Kinect, PlayStation eyetoy etc. serve as potential and suitable alternatives. This review article provides a synthesis of current evidence related to available systems, protocols and potential limitations of individual systems with an aim to enhance utilization of VR based PS training as fall prevention approach to improve quality of life and promote healthy aging among elderly.
Physical inactivity is defined to be an activity level insufficient to meet recommendations. Exergame, which refers to a combination of exercise and video games, has the potential to promote physical activity (PA). Behavior change techniques (BCTs), the minimal, replicable components of an intervention, are widely used to identify components used in health behavior promotion. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to examine the overall effects of exergame-based interventions for promoting PA and their influencing factors. BCTs were also identified and discussed in this review. We searched for relevant RCTs across 6 databases from their inception to March 21, 2024. Meta-analyses using random-effects models assessed the effects on PA, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity, moderate physical activity, vigorous physical activity, sedentary time, step count, and BMI. Subgroup analyses of PA were conducted to explore the influencing factors of exergame-based behavior change interventions. Review Manager software (version 5.3; Cochrane Collaboration) and Stata software (version 16; StataCorp) were used to analyze data. A total of 20 RCTs targeting populations with various medical conditions (aged between 7.5 and 79 years; 1073/2211, 48.5% female) were included in this review, with sample sizes ranging from 16 to 1112. Exergame-based behavior change interventions significantly increased PA (standard mean difference [SMD] 0.19, 95% CI 0.05-0.33), MVPA (SMD 0.48, 95% CI 0.12-0.85), and step counts (SMD 0.54, 95% CI 0.13-0.94). Furthermore, subgroup analyses showed that intervention implementer (research assistants vs other implementers), game console (Microsoft Xbox vs Sony PlayStation vs Nintendo Wii), game participation type (individual game vs nonindividual game), measurement method (subjective vs objective), and the number of BCTs (n<7 vs 7≤n<10 vs n≥10) used significantly influenced the effectiveness of these interventions. The most frequently used BCTs included "1.4 action planning" (n=15), "1.1 goal setting" (n=13), "12.5 adding objects to the environment" (n=13), "2.3 self-monitoring of behavior" (n=11), and "4.1 instruction on how to perform the behavior" (n=11). Our review has demonstrated that exergame-based interventions are effective in promoting PA. Future trials are needed to further validate the insights proposed in our studies and assess the long-term effects on PA.
The rehabilitation of burn patients is essential and is intrinsically linked to conventional rehabilitation; the motivational challenges faced by burn patients in maintaining engagement with these rehabilitation programs are well known. It is understood that the use of other resources, particularly technological ones, associated with conventional rehabilitation could overcome these constraints and thereby optimize the rehabilitation program and health outcomes. The objective of this study is to synthesize the available evidence on the use of exergames in rehabilitation programs for burn patients. This systematic review was developed following the guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The search was conducted in the following databases: Medline®, CINAHL®, Sports Discus®, Cochrane®, and Scopus® during May 2025. The PRISMA Checklist Model was used to organize the information from the selected studies. Seven RCTs were included, involving a total of 236 participants. Outcomes related to the use of exergames in the rehabilitation of burn patients were identified, including increased range of motion, functionality, strength, speed of movement, improved balance, reduced fear and pain, and satisfaction with the technological resource used. It is believed that the results of this review, which confirmed the advantage of using exergames, such as Nintendo Wii, PlayStation, Xbox Kinect, or Wii Fit, to optimize the functionality of burn patients, can support clinical decision-making and encourage the integration of exergames to improve rehabilitation programs for burn patients.
Guidelines have been produced to support the management of concussion, an injury commonly experienced in amateur and elite sports. To improve adherence to concussion guidelines, there is a need to improve their dissemination to the public. Mass media is inherently well positioned to distribute this information; however, concussion must be framed accurately and appropriately to avoid the spread of misinformation. To date the extent to which concussion is depicted in video games is unknown, despite their widespread audience and evidenced use as educational tools. Therefore, this study investigated the representation of concussion (and head impact events) in four sport-based video games. Matches from EA Sports FC 24 (EA Sports, n = 16), EA Sports FC 25 (EA Sports, n = 16), Rugby League Live 4 (Tru Blu, n = 18) and Rugby 22 (Nacon and Bigben Interactive S.A, n = 18) were simulated via a Playstation 5 (Sony Interactive Entertainments). Frequency of direct head impact events and references to concussion were reported. Head impact events were observed in all games (EA Sports FC 24 n = 253, EA Sports FC 25 n = 331, Rugby League Live 4 n = 93, Rugby 22 n = 215). A single concussion was reported in Rugby League Live 4 via a dialogue box. No references to medical intervention or concussion protocols were made in any games analysed. The lack of reference to concussion protocols is a missed opportunity to exemplify appropriate concussion behaviours.
In the realm of autonomous vehicles, society is undergoing a transition from conventional human-driven vehicles to autonomous driving systems. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for vehicles integrated with assistive driving systems. This pilot study designed to explore which type of driving system reminders, namely Text display, Image display, alarm notification, or humanoid voice command, provokes stronger preferences and higher rates of cooperation from drivers. A high-fidelity driving simulator mainly consisting of a Logitech PlayStation driving system, a reminder playing system and an emotion-detecting model was developed in a lab-setting environment. A cohort of participants (N = 6) was recruited to participate in the experiment, where they were tasked with completing assignments across four driving sessions, followed by a subsequent questionnaire. During each driving session, the participants were exposed to six reminders designed for different driving conditions, including seatbelt check, fuel level check, rear mirror check, over speed reminder, obstacles reminder and drowsy driving reminder. Concurrently, the participants' driving performance was observed by the researcher, while changes in their emotional states were detected by the model. Subsequent to the driving sessions, participants were invited to complete a questionnaire for assessing the various formats of driving reminders presented by the four stimuli, utilizing a 5-level Likert scale. The results revealed that driving reminders with sounds (alarm notification and humanoid voice command) exhibited higher recognition and cooperation rates among drivers than the silent reminders (text display and image display). Participants demonstrated stronger preferences for Voice-based driving reminders, which aligns with the observed behaviours of drivers. Despite the limitations of a small sample size of participants, this within-subject study which collected data from 24 individual driving sessions (6 participants x 4 driving sessions) provides insights on enhancing communication between human drivers and computer-assisted driving systems by developing improved alert systems for drivers. It also seeks to enhance the field of automotive user interface design by developing more intuitive and responsive interactions between humans and humanoid-assistant in future autonomous vehicles.
Data on the three dimensional shape of organismal morphology is becoming increasingly available, and forms part of a new revolution in high-throughput phenomics that promises to help understand ecological and evolutionary processes that influence phenotypes at unprecedented scales. However, in order to meet the potential of this revolution we need new data analysis tools to deal with the complexity and heterogeneity of large-scale phenotypic data such as 3D shapes. In this study we explore the potential of generative Artificial Intelligence to help organize and extract meaning from complex 3D data. Specifically, we train a deep representational learning method known as DeepSDF on a dataset of 3D scans of the bills of 2,020 bird species. The model is designed to learn a continuous vector representation of 3D shapes, along with a 'decoder' function, that allows the transformation from this vector space to the original 3D morphological space. We find that approach successfully learns coherent representations: particular directions in latent space are associated with discernible morphological meaning (such as elongation, flattening, etc.). More importantly, learned latent vectors have ecological meaning as shown by their ability to predict the trophic niche of the bird each bill belongs to with a high degree of accuracy. Unlike existing 3D morphometric techniques, this method has very little requirements for human supervised tasks such as landmark placement, increasing it accessibility to labs with fewer labour resources. It has fewer strong assumptions than alternative dimension reduction techniques such as PCA. Once trained, 3D morphology predictions can be made from latent vectors very computationally cheaply. The trained model has been made publicly available and can be used by the community, including for finetuning on new data, representing an early step toward developing shared, reusable AI models for analyzing organismal morphology.
Fine microsurgical motor skill acquisition can be challenging. With increasing technological innovation, the methods of microsurgical skills acquisition may change. Studies show that laboratory-based microsurgical training programmes on a 2D microscope significantly improves the microsurgical skill acquisition of novices. However, it remains to be seen if these skills are transferable to a 3D microscope or if gaming agility is more important? We present a randomised control trial of three interventions, namely laboratory tabletop microscope training (LM), high-fidelity video gaming (Sony PlayStation 4 console; VG) and high-fidelity virtual reality gaming (Sony PlayStation VR console; VR) versus a control group. Forty novice medical students were block randomised to four groups: control (no intervention) n = 10, LM n = 10, VG n = 10 and VR n = 10. Participants performed chicken femoral artery anastomosis using the Aesculap Aeos® 3D microscope platform at the baseline and again after the intervention. Performance was evaluated using a modified structured assessment of microsurgery skills (mSAMS) score, time taken to complete anastomosis and time taken for suture placement by two blinded independent assessors. No statistically significant difference was noted between the groups at the baseline. There was a statistically significant improvement in the LM arm between the baseline and post-training for mSAMS score and time for suture placement. In the VG, VR and control groups no statistically significant difference was observed. Our study demonstrates that during early microsurgical training, an intense laboratory-based microsurgical training programme significantly improves a novice's anastomotic performance on a 2D microscope, and these skills are transferable when a 3D anastomosis is carried out. However, focused gaming had no significant effect, and the results were akin to that of the non-intervention group.
This study examined differences in young adults' mood states during immersive virtual reality (VR), non-immersive VR, and traditional exercise biking sessions. Repeated-measure study design. Forty-nine college students (34 females; Mage = 23.6 years) completed three separate 20-minute exercise biking sessions: (1) immersive VR biking using the PlayStation 4 + VirZoom VR bike; (2) non-immersive VR biking using the Gamercize bike + Xbox 360; and (3) traditional stationary biking using the Spirit Fitness XBU55. Participants' mood states (anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension, and vigor) were assessed by using the Brunel Mood Scale after each session. Statistically significant differences were observed between biking sessions for all components of mood [F (2, 96) = 3.84-278.56, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.07-0.85], except for tension (p > 0.05). Results indicated non-immersive VR biking yielded significantly higher anger compared to immersive VR biking; non-immersive VR biking yielded significantly higher confusion compared to immersive VR biking and traditional biking, respectively; immersive VR biking yielded significantly lower depression compared to traditional biking; both immersive VR biking and non-immersive VR biking yielded significantly lower fatigue compared to traditional biking; and immersive VR biking yielded significantly higher vigor compared to non-immersive VR biking) and traditional biking, respectively. Findings suggested the immersive VR-based biking exercise may facilitate in reducing the negative feelings, such as anger, fatigue, depression, and improving positive feeling, such as vigor, among college students. The immersive VR-based exercise appeared to be a feasible approach for motivating college students participating in physical activity and improving overall mood states.
To systematically explore the barriers and facilitators experienced by patients with heart failure when using the most popular commercially-accessible digital exergaming platforms for self-management. A systematic literature search was conducted in: Embase, SCOPUS, PubMed, and ProQuest. Qualitative/mixed methods studies published in English between 2000 and 2024, including adults >18 years with heart failure using digital gaming platforms for exercise as self-management (i.e. Microsoft Xbox/Kinect, Sony PlayStation®, Nintendo™ Wii) were considered. Risk of bias was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program. The grounded theory method was used to extract, analyze, and synthesize the data. Three articles which qualitatively reported on the experiences of the patients with heart failure when using Nintendo™ Wii for self-management were included. Seventy-nine participants (male and female, age 32-81 years) were included in the studies. The three included studies were of high quality. Extracted qualitative data were grouped into subthemes, which were grouped into main themes, namely, Engagement, Apathy, Convenience, Health-related benefits and Gaming Platforms. The main themes were categorized into Barriers and Facilitators. Patients reported that gaming platforms were simple, easy to use, interesting, and motivating (Facilitators). Boredom while playing specific games, preferring other activities and technical issues were reported as Barriers. This review provides the first insights into the barriers and facilitators patients with heart failure experience when using popular digital exergaming platforms to participate in exercise programs in the self-management of their condition. However, few high-quality studies exist which limits the conclusions made and warrants further research in this area.
To determine the effect of active distraction when playing PlayStation® video games, compared to passive distraction when watching a cartoon with audiovisual eyeglasses, on parental perception of patients' anxiety, and children's anxiety, pain, behaviour and heart rate during restorative procedures in paediatric dentistry. Study design: Randomised crossover clinical trial. There were 34 patients in the cartoon film group (passive distraction) and 34 in the Playstation® video game group (active distraction), aged 6-8 years, who required a minimum of 2 visits for restorative treatment. Rimax® iVision 5.0 eyeglasses were used in both groups. Parental perception of patients' anxiety (Modified Corah Dental Anxiety Scale), and children's anxiety (Venham Picture Test), pain (Wong-Baker Faces Scale), behaviour (Frankl Scale) and heart rate were evaluated at each of the treatment visits. Preference for and satisfaction with the audiovisual product were also assessed. There were significant differences in self-reported pain between control (P=0.016) and experimental (P=0.013) visits in both groups, with lower values in the Playstation® video game group. No significant differences were found (P>0.05) in the other variables evaluated with the use of active distraction. A significant increase in heart rate was recorded at each treatment visit (P=0.0001) when the anaesthetic was injected. All the patients wanted to continue watching or playing their chosen cartoon or Playstation® video game during subsequent visits. The use of PlayStation® video games for active audiovisual distraction, compared with passive distraction with a cartoon, improved self-reported pain but did not reduce parents' perception of patients' anxiety, pain, global behaviour, or heart rate. Both distraction methods were accepted by paediatric patients.
Anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) commonly occurs during sporting events. It causes pain, instability and reduction in range of movement of the knee which results in altered balance, reduced strength as well as loading to the involved knee. The challenge to get the patient back to competitive sports level much depends on the rehabilitation process. Post ACLR rehabilitation is challenging due to the long rehabilitation time as well as boring repetitive exercises. The aim of this study is to compare between the effectiveness of using immersive virtual reality (PlayStation VR) in addition to the conventional rehabilitation as an aid in rehabilitation of patients after ACLR in terms of objective functional assessment and pain and subjective knee function scoring. This randomised controlled trial was undertaken in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia from July 2019 until July 2020. Thirty patients were randomised into a group undergoing purely conventional rehabilitation (Group 1) and a group undergoing both conventional rehabilitation and immersive virtual reality assisted rehabilitation (Group 2). The immersive virtual reality assisted rehabilitation was started at 3 months post operatively for 3 months duration. Limb loading, balance, range of motion, functional hop tests of the knee, pain and subjective scoring of the knee with the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Scores were measured preoperatively and at 6 months. There were significant differences in terms of improvement of pain scores (p = 0.012) as well as IKDC Scores (p = 0.024) in Group 2 as compared to Group 1. However, there were no significant differences with regards to limb loading, balance, range of motion and functional hop tests of the knee (p > 0.05). No adverse events were observed during the study period. Immersive virtual reality can be used as an adjunct in rehabilitation of patients after ACL reconstruction in terms of improving their pain as well as their subjective knee evaluation. Large randomised control trial is recommended to further investigate the efficacy.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of using audio-visual entertainment aids and print format entertainment aid (comics) on children's pain and anxiety. This randomized parallel trial was performed on 60 patients aged 5 and 9 years, who required pulp therapy. The study consisted of three study groups, Group 1- treatment along with PlayStation, Group-2 treatment along with comic group, and Group 3- control group (treatment without any entertainment). Mean age was 7.1 ± 0.29 years. There was a significant improvement in the patients who were given treatment along with PlayStation. (p < 0.001) Statistically significant differences were found (p < 0.001) in terms of parental perception of the patient's anxiety during the visits. It was concluded from the study that use of distraction method techniques is effective in reducing situational anxiety and parental perception of pain distress in younger children. Entertainment while treating pediatric patient can help in improving the comfort level of patient in a clinical setup. Mahajan N, Kotwal B, Gupta A, et al. Comparative Evaluation of an Audiovisual Distraction Aid and Print Format Entertainment on Pain Perception, Anxiety and Children Behavior in the Dental Setting. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(1):54-59.