Simple, inexpensive activities, such as playing cards, could help stroke patients to regain their strength and coordination, a new study suggests.

Around 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke every year, including 10,000 in Ireland. Many are left with stroke-related disabilities and rehabilitation is essential to help those affected to regain their strength, coordination and sometimes independence again.

US researchers decided to assess the use of simple activities after a stroke compared to the use of virtual reality games, which are increasingly being used as part of stroke patients' rehabilitation.

The study involved 14 stroke centres in four countries. All patients received conventional rehabilitation therapy. However, they were also randomly spilt into two groups, with one group taking part in 10 one-hour sessions of virtual reality gaming and the other undertaking simple recreational activities, such as playing cards or dominoes, or even repeatedly throwing a foam ball into a wastepaper basket.

Patients in both groups recorded a 30-40% improvement in motor performance two weeks after the intervention, and four weeks later.

However, no significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of strength, gross motor skills, dexterity, ability to carry out activities of daily living, such as dressing themselves, and overall quality of life.

"We all like technology and have the tendency to think that new technology is better than old-fashioned strategies, but sometimes that's not the case. In this study, we found that simple recreational activities that can be implemented anywhere may be as effective as technology," commented Dr Gustavo Saposnik, a neurologist at St Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada.

He said that he was surprised at the findings because virtual reality is increasingly being seen as an emerging strategy to help with motor skills following a stroke.

He added that this clinical trial is the largest of its kind ever undertaken. 

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Lancet Neurology.