Computer games as a means of movement rehabilitation.

In order to improve arm control in a child with Erb's palsy, a computer game was used in which participation required the movement of a lever, controlled by the child's arm. Counter-balancing weights were used to facilitate movement but counteract pathological compensatory movements. The use of this system (with appropriate modifications at successive stages of therapy) produced a substantial improvement in arm control. It was concluded that the use of such techniques capitalizes on the child's motivation to succeed, and has advantages over traditional physiotherapy that relies on passive, repetitive movements and sometimes painful limb manipulation. In this situation the child made spontaneous, voluntary movements, concentrating on the outcome of movements rather than the actions per se.