Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation administered at contralateral site in the same dermatome

cause patients to become bedridden. Because of this, various fall prevention interventions should be provided to enhance quality of life of the elderly. Purpose:Apilot studywas performed to examinewhether balance training using virtual reality (VR) in the form of a video game was effective to prevent the elderly from falling. Methods: The VR training using a balanceWii board as a man-machine interfacewhich is easily operatedbymovement of trunk even for the elderly and was executed as a movement game by 6 subjects (75± 9.6 years old, mean± SD). Initially a normal exercise therapy sessionwas set to 20minutes, twice weekly totally 8 times per month. In the next month, at the same frequency, in addition to normal training, a 20minutes VR training session was conducted. Results: Before and after the normal training, the oneleg balance test (OLB-t) time was from 12.1± 14.3 to 13.1± 17.1 seconds and the Timed Up and Go test (TUGt) time was from 14.0± 6.4 to 12.8± 4.4 seconds. Some improvement without a significant difference was noted. However, before and after introducing the VR training, a significant improvement was achieved with the OLB-t time changing from 13.1± 17.1 to 39.8± 37.5 seconds and was not with the TUG-t time changing from 12.8± 4.4 to 10.9± 5.6 seconds. Conclusion(s):Sincewe achieved the target improvement in fall prevention issues such as OLB-t time and TUG-t time usingVR training in only onemonth, notwithstanding that the study design of viewof fall prevention, the results suggest that introduction of VR training as an option for balance training into rehabilitation is extremely effective. Implications: This study would provide a new option of fall prevention interventions which is based on video games. These can enhance elder traineesḿotivation to maintain the fall prevention training.