Acute Effects of Video Game-based Exercises in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy After Breast Cancer Surgery - A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE Virtual reality programs, which have developed rapidly with the advancement of technology, have led to the development of alternative treatment methods preferred in rehabilitation. This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of a video game-based exercise program applied after breast cancer surgery on the upper extremity functionality, pain severity, and the level of fatigue. METHODS Fifteen female patients aged between 30 and 60 years (50.13 +/- 8.79) who completed their 12th week after breast cancer surgery and were received adjuvant chemotherapy treatment were randomly included in this pre-test and post-test study. The patients were performed a 30-min video game-based exercise program. The muscle strength, range of motion (ROM), pain and fatigue level assessments were performed before and after the video game-based exercises. The level of exercise pleasure was determined with the modified visual analog scale. RESULTS Shoulder flexion, abduction, and external rotation ROM significantly increased after video game-based exercise program. No difference was detected for shoulder abduction muscle strength (p>0.05) and pain level significantly increased (p<0.05). The average exercise pleasure level is 4.5/5 and the average fatigue level was 11.13/20. CONCLUSION Video game-based exercises provided improvement in ROM of the shoulder joint without causing fatigue. Studies with different treatment durations are needed to minimize the increase in pain level.