It turns out that dance games are a great form of “virtual reality rehabilitation.”
Dancing games are a great way to stay fit and healthy and keep you from peeing your pants, according to a new study published in Neurology and Urodynamics. Testing the effects of “virtual reality rehabilitation” through playing dancing video games like Dance Central and Just Dance, the study found that playing dance games can help women lose weight and prevent urinary incontinence.
The Canadian and Swiss research team specifically studied elderly women, ages 65 and 75, who had suffered repeated incontinence issues. The subjects were asked to perform a series of pelvic exercises, as shown by a video game, both at home and during weekly appointments. (The study did not reveal which “popular” game they used.) After 12 weeks, most of the 24 women in the study said they had fewer instances of incontinence once they started doing the exercises. The study claims that 91 percent of the women were “very satisfied” with the results of the treatment.
While the study concedes its likely that any kind of regular dancing exercise could probably yield similarly positive results, the researchers point out that playing a dance game at home would be significantly less expensive than weekly Zumba classes.
So there you have it folks: A dance routine a day keeps the diapers away.
Source: Neurology and Urodynamics” via Gamepolitics
