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CompletedNCT03651479Updated Nov 30, 2021Results posted

The Comparison of Virtual and Real Boxing Training in Hemiparetic Stroke Patients

An interventional study of real boxing training and virtual boxing training in Stroke and Hemiparesis, sponsored by Eastern Mediterranean University. Completed at 1 site in Cyprus. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-11-30.

Sponsored by Eastern Mediterranean University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The aim of this study is to compare the effects of virtual and real boxing training in addition to neurodevelopmental training on cognitive status, upper extremity functions, balance and activities of daily living in hemiparetic stroke patients.

Read the detailed description

The use of computer systems has become a highly accepted approach in neurorehabilitation currently. Virtual reality (VR) is frequently used in different disease groups for this purpose. By using various VR equipment (sensors, balance board, control, etc.), exercises can be individualized to suit individual needs and aim to stimulate neural plasticity according to motor learning principles with repetitive activities.

In recent years, it has been observed that boxing training (boxing therapy) in individuals with neurological diseases (e.g. Parkinson's disease and stroke) gives positive results. It has been shown in the literature there are short and long-term improvement in daily life activities, quality of life, balance and gait functions after boxing training in patients with Parkinson' disease despite the progressive nature of Parkinson's disease. Additionally it was found that boxing program in sitting has positive effects on upper extremity functions, balance, walking and quality of life in stroke patients. In the literature, there were no studies comparing virtual and boxing therapy in stroke patients. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the effects of virtual and real boxing training in addition to neurodevelopmental training (NDT) on cognitive status, upper extremity functions, balance and activities of daily living in hemiparetic stroke patients.

Patients who have had a stroke for the first time with hemiparesis, who are between the ages of 18-70, who has Mini Mental Test score above 23, whose functional level is less than 4 according to the Modified Rankin Scale, who has upper extremity spasticity lower than 3 on Modified Ashworth Scale will be included in this study. In case of hypertension which may prevent rehabilitation, heart disease, subluxation and fracture at the shoulder, visual impairment, limitation in passive normal joint movement in hemiplegic side, botulinum toxin administration or surgical operation in the last 6 months patients will not be excluded.

All the patients will be measured with Addenbrooke's Cognitive Assessment (ACA), Minnesota Hand Skill Test, Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale (FAB), Frenchay Activity Index (FAI) and video boxing analysis of punching.The measurements will be made at the beginning of the treatment (0 weeks) and at the end of the treatment (8 weeks).

NDT approaches consist of upper extremity facilitation techniques and activities in accordance with the patient's functional level, weight transfer and walking exercises to increase sitting and standing balance, mat exercises with the same purpose considering the functional level for each patient. In the real boxing (RB) group in addition to the NDT program, real boxing training will be given. Accordingly, the physiotherapist and the patient will wear boxing gloves and the patients will punch the physiotherapist's glove with a pre-specified treatment protocol. Resistance and frequencies between levels will be increased by the physiotherapist as the sessions progress. The RB group will have 30 minutes of real boxing training for 3 sessions per week for 8 weeks. In the virtual boxing (VB) group, in addition to the NDT program, virtual boxing training will be given by using Kinect Xbox Boxing. For the VB group, virtual boxing training will be held for 3 weeks 30 minutes a week for 8 weeks.

02

Conditions studied

  • Stroke
  • Hemiparesis

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Keywords

  • virtual reality
  • boxing
  • upper extremity function
  • cognitive function
  • balance
03

In context

Stroke

7,286 studies on the registry are indexed under Stroke; 2,007 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 40 is below the median of 50 across 5,369 interventional studies indexed under Stroke.

Browse Stroke studies →

Lead sponsor

Eastern Mediterranean University is the lead sponsor of 136 studies on the registry; 20 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients diagnosed with first time ever stroke
  • Patients with hemiparesis
  • Patients who are between the ages of 18-70
  • Patients who has Mini Mental Test score above 23
  • Patients whose functional level is less than 4 according to the Modified Rankin Scale
  • Patients who has upper extremity spasticity lower than 3 on Modified Ashworth Scale

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Hypertension
  • Heart disease
  • Subluxation and fracture at the shoulder
  • Visual impairment
  • Limitation in passive normal joint movement in hemiplegic side
  • Botulinum toxin administration or surgical operation in the last 6 months patients
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
40 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    real boxing group

    In the real boxing (RB) group in addition to the NDT program, real boxing training will be given.

    Other: real boxing training

  • Experimental
    virtual boxing group

    In the virtual boxing (VB) group, in addition to the NDT program, virtual boxing training will be given by using Kinect Xbox Boxing.

    Other: virtual boxing training

Interventions

  • Otherreal boxing training

    In the real boxing (RB) group in addition to the NDT program, real boxing training will be given. Accordingly, the physiotherapist and the patient will wear boxing gloves and the patients will punch the physiotherapist's glove with a pre-specified treatment protocol. Resistance and frequencies between levels will be increased by the physiotherapist as the sessions progress. The RB group will have 30 minutes of real boxing training for 3 sessions per week for 8 weeks.

  • Othervirtual boxing training

    In the virtual boxing (VB) group, in addition to the NDT program, virtual boxing training will be given by using Kinect Xbox Boxing. For the VB group, virtual boxing training will be held for 3 weeks 30 minutes a week for 8 weeks.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Wolf Motor Function Test

    Wolf Motor Function Test (WFMT) quantifies upper extremity motor ability through the use of timed and functional tasks. The widely used version of the WMFT consists of 17 items, items 7 and 14 are related to subject strength and the other 15 to subject functional ability during various tasks. Performances are scored using a 6-point functional ability scale and the less affected upper extremity followed by the most affected side. The total score, also referred to as Functional Ability score (WMFT-FAS), is the sum of the 15 items score (with a 6-point ordinal score from 0 to 5). The maximum total score is 75 and minimum is 0. Lower scores indicating lower functional levels.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test

    Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test (MMDT) measures the speed of gross arm and hand movements (arm-hand dexterity) during rapid eye-hand coordination tasks. The MMDT involve five subtests:The Placing Test (1st item: taking the blocks with one hand and putting them in the holes on the board in a standardized order) and Two-hand Turning and Placing Test (5th item: taking the blocks with two hands and putting them in the holes on the board in a standardized order) were the two items selected for this study.The number of seconds it took to complete the task on each of the trials was recorded. The lower the score, the better the outcome.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  2. Video Boxing Analysis of Punching

    Video Boxing Analysis (VBA) evaluation method was used to evaluate the goal-oriented performance analysis of upper extremity. For boxing analysis patients were videotaped while punching with their right side, punching with side left and punching bilaterally. Than the videotape were watched to analyze and the number of right unilateral punches in 1 minute, number of left unilateral punches in 1 minute and number of bilateral punches in 1 minute were recorded. This analysis were done for the quantitative assessment of punch number per minute (number of punch/minute). This measurement method is created and constructed by the authors of this study. Higher number of punches indicate better outcome on this analysis.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  3. Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale

    Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale was developed to evaluate sensitive changes in many aspects of balance. This performance-based scale consists of 10 test items assessing functional balance (static and dynamic) status in older people. The individual test items are: 1. Feet together, eyes closed, 2. Reach forward to retrieve an object, 3. Turn in a full circle, 4. Step up and over a bench, 5. Tandem walk, 6. Stand on one leg, 7. Stand on foam, eyes closed, 8. Two-footed jump, 9. Walk with head turns, 10. Reactive postural control. Each test item is scored using a 0-4 scale. The highest score that can be obtained on this multidimensional balance assessment is 40 points, and the lowest is zero. Higher scores indicate better balance abilities. The FAB scale is quick to administer (\~10-12 minutes) and can be administered in a relatively small area.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  4. Addenbrooke's Cognitive Assessment

    Addenbrook's Cognitive Assessment - Revised (ACE-R) is sensitive in the differential diagnosis of early stage dementia. However, the design and psychometric properties is also suitable to provide information about cognitive functions and cognitive deficits in patients without dementia after a stroke. The ACE-R consists of five domains including attention/orientation, memory, verbal fluency, language and visuospatial ability. The ACE-R total scale score ranges from 0 to 100. The ACE-R subscale scores ranges between; 0-18 points for attention, 0-26 for memory, 0-14 for fluency, 0-26 for language and 0-16 for visuospatial processing. Higher scores indicate better cognitive functioning. ACE- R scale was found as reliable and valid in Turkish population.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  5. Frenchay Activities Index

    Frenchay Activities Index is a measure of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) for use with patients recovering from stroke. The Frenchay Activities Index (FAI) assesses a broad range of activities associated with everyday life. The benefit of the FAI is that while activities of daily living scales tend to focus on issues related to self-care and mobility. The FAI comprises 15 activities, each of which is scored on a 4-point scale (0 to 3), to yield a total score ranging from 0 (inactive) to 45 (active). Scoring is based on the frequency with which the activities are carried out. It can be broken down into three subscales: domestic chores, leisure/work, and outdoor activities. Each subscale's score ranges from 0 to 15.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

07

Results

Posted Jan 18, 2020
Limitations and caveats
There were problems caused by technology in the virtual reality therapy group for example; Freezing the image while playing game and the patient's position to move out of the camera area can not be detected

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneReal Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing Group
Started2020
Completed2020
Not completed00

Outcome measures

PrimaryWolf Motor Function Test

Wolf Motor Function Test (WFMT) quantifies upper extremity motor ability through the use of timed and functional tasks. The widely used version of the WMFT consists of 17 items, items 7 and 14 are related to subject strength and the other 15 to subject functional ability during various tasks. Performances are scored using a 6-point functional ability scale and the less affected upper extremity followed by the most affected side. The total score, also referred to as Functional Ability score (WMFT-FAS), is the sum of the 15 items score (with a 6-point ordinal score from 0 to 5). The maximum total score is 75 and minimum is 0. Lower scores indicating lower functional levels.

Time frame:
8 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Wolf Motor Function Test
score on a scaleReal Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing Group
baseline68.00 ± 9.4669.65 ± 3.12
after treatment68.65 ± 3.1271.05 ± 2.56
Statistical analysis
  • Real Boxing Group vs Virtual Boxing Group · Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) · p = 0.004
SecondaryMinnesota Manual Dexterity Test

Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test (MMDT) measures the speed of gross arm and hand movements (arm-hand dexterity) during rapid eye-hand coordination tasks. The MMDT involve five subtests:The Placing Test (1st item: taking the blocks with one hand and putting them in the holes on the board in a standardized order) and Two-hand Turning and Placing Test (5th item: taking the blocks with two hands and putting them in the holes on the board in a standardized order) were the two items selected for this study.The number of seconds it took to complete the task on each of the trials was recorded. The lower the score, the better the outcome.

Time frame:
8 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · seconds
Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test
secondsReal Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing Group
Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test3.39 ± 2.532.42 ± 0.55
SecondaryVideo Boxing Analysis of Punching

Video Boxing Analysis (VBA) evaluation method was used to evaluate the goal-oriented performance analysis of upper extremity. For boxing analysis patients were videotaped while punching with their right side, punching with side left and punching bilaterally. Than the videotape were watched to analyze and the number of right unilateral punches in 1 minute, number of left unilateral punches in 1 minute and number of bilateral punches in 1 minute were recorded. This analysis were done for the quantitative assessment of punch number per minute (number of punch/minute). This measurement method is created and constructed by the authors of this study. Higher number of punches indicate better outcome on this analysis.

Time frame:
8 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · repetitions per minute
Video Boxing Analysis of Punching
repetitions per minuteReal Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing Group
Video Boxing Analysis of Punching37.25 ± 7.5440.3 ± 8.58
SecondaryFullerton Advanced Balance Scale

Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale was developed to evaluate sensitive changes in many aspects of balance. This performance-based scale consists of 10 test items assessing functional balance (static and dynamic) status in older people. The individual test items are: 1. Feet together, eyes closed, 2. Reach forward to retrieve an object, 3. Turn in a full circle, 4. Step up and over a bench, 5. Tandem walk, 6. Stand on one leg, 7. Stand on foam, eyes closed, 8. Two-footed jump, 9. Walk with head turns, 10. Reactive postural control. Each test item is scored using a 0-4 scale. The highest score that can be obtained on this multidimensional balance assessment is 40 points, and the lowest is zero. Higher scores indicate better balance abilities. The FAB scale is quick to administer (\~10-12 minutes) and can be administered in a relatively small area.

Time frame:
8 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale
score on a scaleReal Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing Group
Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale30.20 ± 4.7629.40 ± 5.40
SecondaryAddenbrooke's Cognitive Assessment

Addenbrook's Cognitive Assessment - Revised (ACE-R) is sensitive in the differential diagnosis of early stage dementia. However, the design and psychometric properties is also suitable to provide information about cognitive functions and cognitive deficits in patients without dementia after a stroke. The ACE-R consists of five domains including attention/orientation, memory, verbal fluency, language and visuospatial ability. The ACE-R total scale score ranges from 0 to 100. The ACE-R subscale scores ranges between; 0-18 points for attention, 0-26 for memory, 0-14 for fluency, 0-26 for language and 0-16 for visuospatial processing. Higher scores indicate better cognitive functioning. ACE- R scale was found as reliable and valid in Turkish population.

Time frame:
8 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Addenbrooke's Cognitive Assessment
score on a scaleReal Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing Group
Addenbrooke's Cognitive Assessment75.55 ± 6.3975.05 ± 8.47
SecondaryFrenchay Activities Index

Frenchay Activities Index is a measure of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) for use with patients recovering from stroke. The Frenchay Activities Index (FAI) assesses a broad range of activities associated with everyday life. The benefit of the FAI is that while activities of daily living scales tend to focus on issues related to self-care and mobility. The FAI comprises 15 activities, each of which is scored on a 4-point scale (0 to 3), to yield a total score ranging from 0 (inactive) to 45 (active). Scoring is based on the frequency with which the activities are carried out. It can be broken down into three subscales: domestic chores, leisure/work, and outdoor activities. Each subscale's score ranges from 0 to 15.

Time frame:
8 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Frenchay Activities Index
score on a scaleReal Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing Group
Frenchay Activities Index28.40 ± 11.5325.20 ± 6.14

Adverse events

Collected over Through study completion, an average of 6 months. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Real Boxing Group0/20 (0%)0/20 (0%)0/20 (0%)
Virtual Boxing Group0/20 (0%)0/20 (0%)0/20 (0%)

Baseline characteristics

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Real Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing GroupTotal
<=18 years000
Between 18 and 65 years151328
>=65 years5712
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Real Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing GroupTotal
Mean58.25 ± 11.1960.15 ± 10.1959.20 ± 10.61
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Real Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing GroupTotal
Female8513
Male121527
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected(Participants)Real Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing GroupTotal
Count of participants——0
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Real Boxing GroupVirtual Boxing GroupTotal
Cyprus202040
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Eastern Mediterranean University
    Famagusta, North Cyprus Via Mersin 10 Turkey 99450, Cyprus
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Park J, Gong J, Yim J. Effects of a sitting boxing program on upper limb function, balance, gait, and quality of life in stroke patients. NeuroRehabilitation. 2017;40(1):77-86. doi: 10.3233/NRE-161392. PubMed 27792020 ↗
  • Sin H, Lee G. Additional virtual reality training using Xbox Kinect in stroke survivors with hemiplegia. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2013 Oct;92(10):871-80. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e3182a38e40. PubMed 24051993 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Aug 9, 2019

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 30, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03651479
Lead sponsor
Eastern Mediterranean University
Responsible party
Gözde İyigün (Faculty member, Eastern Mediterranean University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 29, 2018
Start date
Nov 10, 2018
Primary completion
Jun 12, 2019
Completion
Jun 12, 2019
Results posted
Jan 18, 2020
Last update
Nov 30, 2021

Study contacts

Gozde Iyigun, PhD
principal investigator · Eastern Mediterranean University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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