A comparative study on the effectiveness of virtual reality vs. traditional physical therapy in stroke recovery

Abstract

Background: Stroke remains a leading cause of disability globally, necessitating effective rehabilitation strategies to improve outcomes. While traditional Physical Therapy (PT) has been extensively utilized, emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) offer innovative approaches to stroke rehabilitation. Previous studies have highlighted the potential for VRT to enhance motor and cognitive recovery, but comparative analyses with conventional PT are limited.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of VRT and PT in improving motor functions, balance, mobility, and cognitive recovery in stroke survivors.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 120 stroke survivors, evenly split into VRT and PT groups. Participants were aged 40-80 years and had suffered from their first stroke within six months prior to the study. Exclusion criteria included severe cognitive impairments and previous neurological diseases other than stroke. Both groups underwent similar durations of treatment (average of 10 weeks, approximately 4 sessions per week, 40-45 minutes per session). Outcome measures were assessed through the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for motor recovery, the 10-Meter Walk Test for mobility, the Berg Balance Scale for balance, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for cognitive function, administered before and after the intervention.

Results: Post-treatment, the VRT group showed significant improvements in mobility (7.87 seconds, SD = 1.08 on the 10MWT) and balance (46.68, SD = 3.01 on the BBS) compared to the PT group (9.70 seconds, SD = 1.08 and 40.02, SD = 4.67, respectively), with p-values of 0.000022 and 0.000030. No significant differences were found in motor recovery (FMA scores were 55.71, SD = 4.69 for VRT, and 53.29, SD = 5.86 for PT; p = 0.194) and cognitive function (MoCA scores were 24.59, SD = 2.89 for VRT and 23.81, SD = 3.53 for PT; p = 0.484) between the groups.

Conclusion: VRT demonstrated superior outcomes in specific physical rehabilitation metrics such as mobility and balance, although both VRT and PT were similarly effective in motor and cognitive recovery. These findings suggest that VRT can be an effective alternative to traditional PT for improving physical function in stroke survivors.

Keywords: Stroke rehabilitation, virtual reality therapy, physical therapy, motor recovery, cognitive recovery, balance improvement, mobility enhancement, randomized controlled trial.