Effects of training with Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures in the resistance of lumbar-pelvic muscles of healthy young adults: non-randomized clinical trial

ABSTRACT Exergames training (EXG) has been used as a technique for health prevention, however, little is known about its influence on the endurance of lumbar-pelvic muscles. The effects of Kinect Sports ® and Kinect Adventures ® on the endurance of lumbar-pelvic muscles in healthy young adults were analyzed. Forty participants (26 women and 14 men, from 18 to 30 years old) were sorted by convenience into a control group (CG, n = 20) and an intervention group (IG, n=20). The muscles of the trunk (flexor, extensor and lateral flexor) were assessed in three periods: before the intervention (T0), after five weeks (T5) and after 12 weeks (T12). Only the IG underwent training with Kinect Sports ® and Kinect Adventures ® (XBOX360 Kinect®), in pairs, twice a week, during 12 weeks. To analyze the differences between groups, mixed ANOVA test was used with repeated measures design 2 (treatment group: CG vs. IG) x3 (lumbar-pelvic complex tests: T0 vs. T5 vs. T12) (p<0.05). The IG showed a significant increase in the endurance of trunk extensors and lateral flexors (F2,76=3.947, p=0.03; F2,76=3.763, p=0.02), respectively, after 12 weeks of intervention, compared to the CG. It was concluded that EXG training (XBOX360 Kinect Sports® and Kinect Adventures®) improved the resistance of the lumbar-pelvic muscles of healthy young adults. This protocol may be considered an instrument for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in the lumbar region.