Effects of Exergaming in Cancer Related Fatigue in the Quality of Life and Electromyography of the Middle Deltoid of People with Cancer in Treatment: A Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objective: In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects an exergaming protocol for cancer patients who<br />undergo or have already undergone cancer treatment. We sought to evaluate changes in cancer-related fatigue, function,<br />and ability to perform daily activities, in addition to changes in the electromyographic pattern of the middle deltoid<br />muscle. Methods: We conducted a controlled trial. Nineteen volunteers in the cancer group (aged 61 ± 9 years; body<br />mass index28 ± 5) and 19 in the control group (aged 58 ± 8 years); body mass index 28 ± 4) participated in the study.<br />They were evaluated by means of a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Functional Assessment of Chronic<br />Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) questionnaire, and surface electromyography in the deltoid muscle at three moments: before<br />the beginning of the exergaming protocol, after 10 training sessions, and after 20 sessions. The protocol consisted of<br />practicing exergaming using Xbox 360® (Microsoft, Redmond, USA) with Kinect®. The game “Your Shape Fitness<br />Evolved" (Ubisoft, Rennes, France) was used. Results: Total FACIT-F scores, fatigue subscale scores, and median<br />frequency values observed in the cancer group were lower than those in the control group. These values improved in<br />relation to the initial evaluation in the cancer group after the practice of the exergaming protocol. Conclusion: The<br />exergaming protocol used in this study was effective for reducing reported symptoms of fatigue, increasing perceived<br />quality of life, and improving the pattern of deltoid muscle contraction in cancer patients.