Post-stroke Balance Improved With Yoga

Wii Fit Plus activities can be used in therapy in many creative ways. Wii therapy with yoga poses (found in the Wii Fit program) may be very beneficial. For individuals recovering from stroke, yoga helps improve balance, function, and quality of life. An occupational therapist led a study looking at the effects of a yoga program on participants who had strokes. The outcome measures included balance as measured by the 14-item Berg Balance Scale, balance efficacy as measured by the Balance Confidence scale and quality of life indicators as measured by the 49-item Stroke-Specific QoL scale. The researcher reports using seated, standing and floor postures. Wii Fit Plus offers 18 different Yoga poses as outlined in the Yoga Exercises for Wii Fit Plus cheat sheet. Each pose benefits the participant in ways ranging from improved postural alignment, to increased strength, to improved flexibility. Using yoga activities with Wii for therapy has the advantage of providing the therapist and patient with immediate feed back, a score that can be used to indicate improvement, and an easy way to boost carry through by including the Wii activities in a home program.