Inpatient Exergames for Children with Cerebral Palsy following Lower Extremity Orthopedic Surgery: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the feasibility of implementing cycling-based exergames for children with cerebral palsy (CP) following lower extremity orthopedic surgery and explore its impact on pain and well-being. Methods: Ten children with CP were recruited; the first five received physiotherapy (comparison) and next five received fifteen exergame sessions over 3 weeks and physiotherapy (case) (NCT0376907). Feasibility indicators evaluated recruitment, questionnaire and exergame completion. Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R), PROMIS Pediatric Pain Interference Scale (PPIS), and KIDSCREEN-27 were administered. Wilcoxon signed-rank and effect size (r) tests evaluated within-group differences and between-group differences were assessed using Mann–Whitney U tests. Results: All feasibility indicators were met. Large effects for improved case group pain were identified (FPS-R r = 0.60, PPIS r = 0.58), as well as significant improvement in KIDSCREEN-27 total (U = 0.50, p = .05) and psychological well-being (U = 3.00, p = .01) scores, favoring the case group. Conclusions: Incorporating pediatric exergames is feasible and demonstrates potential for improving pain and well-being.