Effect of a Soft Pneumatic Glove Game-Based Rehabilitation on Grip Strength, Hand Function, and Cognitive Function in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Single-Blind, Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Objective To investigate the effect of a soft pneumatic glove game-based rehabilitation on grip strength, hand function, and cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Design Single-blind, randomized controlled pilot study. Setting Rehabilitation clinic and community setting. Participants Twenty-five participants were randomly assigned to game-based exercise (n=12; age, 69.08 ± 3.42 years; 12 women) or conventional-exercise groups (n=13; 70.33 ± 4.42 years; 11 women/1 man). Interventions The game-based exercise group received 30-minute soft pneumatic glove–hand exercises with games at the clinical center, 3 d/wk for 6 weeks. To ensure an equal training dosage, the conventional-exercise group received standard self-administered hand exercises on the same schedule at home. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome was grip strength. Secondary outcomes were hand function (Jebson-Taylor Hand function test; JTHFT) and cognitive function (Mental State Examination T10 and Montreal Cognitive Assessment), measured at baseline and after 6 weeks of intervention. Results After training, hand grip strength increased significantly in both groups, with a significantly larger increase in the game-based exercise group. No significant between-group differences were observed in total JTHFT score or cognitive outcome. Individual JTHFT subtest scores improved significantly for both the light and heavy can-moving subtests, particularly in the game-based group. However, cognitive function declined significantly within the game-based exercise group, with no significant changes found in the conventional-exercise group. Conclusions Game-based exercise improved handgrip strength more than standard hand exercise. These findings support future research on whether such physical gains mediate broader cognitive health benefits from gamified exercise.