Effect of Exergaming on Quality of Life, Fatigue, and Strength and Endurance Muscle in Cancer Patients: A Randomized Crossover Trial

• Published in: Games for health Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 358
• Main Authors: da Silva Alves, Ricardo, de Carvalho, Jovana Maria, Borges, Juliana Bassalobre Carvalho, Nogueira, Denismar Alves, Iunes, Denise Hollanda, Carvalho, Leonardo Cesar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-10-2023
• Subjects: Aged; Cross-Over Studies; Exergaming; Fatigue - etiology; Fatigue - therapy; Humans; Middle Aged; Muscle Strength - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Neoplasms - complications; Neoplasms - therapy; Quality of Life; Electromyography; Rehabilitation; Muscle fatigue; Cancer
• ISSN: 2161-7856
• DOI: 10.1089/g4h.2022.0161

To analyze the influence of exergaming (EXE) quality of life, cancer-related fatigue (CRF), electromyography, and strength and endurance muscle in a randomized crossover trial.
We conducted a single-blinded, randomized, and crossover trial, which included 38 cancer volunteers undergoing chemotherapy (Age = 60.07 ± 12.10 years; body mass index = 26.79 ± 5.33 kg/m
). All volunteers were randomized into two intervention moments: EXE and without intervention (WI) and after 1-month washout period of crossing of the evaluated moments. The intervention was performed on an EXE protocol using Xbox 360 Kinect
, with the game "Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012" two to three times per week for 20 sessions. All volunteers were assessed the CRF and quality-of-life levels through the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) questionnaire, the median frequency (MDF) by surface electromyography, maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), and the muscle endurance time at 80% MVIC of the dorsiflexors and plantar flexors using dynamometer.
In the comparison between EXE and WI moments, were observed increase in the scores for quality of life (
 < 0.001), subscale fatigue (
 < 0.001), in the MDF values of right lateral gastrocnemius muscles:
 = 0.017, muscle endurance time (left dorsiflexion [LDF]:
 < 0.001; right dorsiflexion [RDF]:
 < 0.001; left plantar flexion [LPF]:
 < 0.001; RPF:
 = 0.039), and muscle strength (LDF:
 < 0.001; RDF:
 < 0.001; LPF:
 = 0.002).
The crossover study, the EXE protocol promoted improvement in cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and quality of life, increased MVIC, endurance time, and MDF values of the dorsiflexor and plantar flexor muscles of cancer volunteers undergoing chemotherapy.