Playing cards can help regain co-ordination in stroke patients

Physical activities such as playing cards and repeatedly throwing a foam ball or wad of paper into a wastepaper basket are just as effective in helping people regain strength and co-ordination

Physical activities such as playing cards and repeatedly throwing a foam ball or wad of paper into a wastepaper basket are just as effective in helping people regain strength and co-ordination following a stroke as playing virtual reality games, a new study has found.

The study, published in the ‘Lancet Neurology’ journal, was based on a clinical trial conducted at 14 centres in four countries in which patients were randomised into two groups.

Read: Risks of heart attack and stroke rises within an hour of alcohol intake

One group received one-hour sessions of virtual reality using the Nintendo Wii system and the other spent the same amount of time doing simple recreational activities such as playing cards or dominoes.

Patients randomised to both groups saw a 30 per cent and 40 per cent improvement in motor performance at the end of two weeks of the intervention and four weeks after the intervention, respectively.

Technology helps but it is not always better than old-fashioned techniques, the new study proves.

Read: Midlife fitness cuts your chances of having a stroke later

This study revealed that simple recreational activities that can be implemented anywhere may be as effective as technology.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more