A Comparative Study on the Effectiveness of Virtual Reality vs. TraditionalPhysical Therapy in Stroke Recovery

Abstract

Background

Stroke remains one of the leading causes of long-term disability worldwide, creating a critical need for effective rehabilitation strategies to enhance recovery outcomes. Traditional Physical Therapy (PT) has long been a cornerstone of post-stroke rehabilitation; however, emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) are increasingly being recognized for their innovative contributions to rehabilitation. Several studies have demonstrated VRT's potential to improve both motor and cognitive functions in stroke survivors. Nevertheless, there is a notable scarcity of comparative analyses directly evaluating the efficacy of VRT against conventional PT methods.

Objective

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) and traditional Physical Therapy (PT) in improving motor function, balance, mobility, and cognitive recovery in individuals recovering from a stroke.

Methods

A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a total of 120 stroke survivors, evenly assigned to either the VRT or PT group. Participants, aged between 40 and 80 years, had experienced their first stroke within the previous six months. Individuals with severe cognitive impairments or other neurological conditions were excluded. Both the VRT and PT groups received treatment of equal intensity over a 10-week period, comprising approximately four 40–45-minute sessions per week. Outcome measures were assessed both before and after the intervention using four validated tools: the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) for motor function, the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT) for mobility, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) for balance, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for cognitive function. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25.0, employing descriptive statistics and paired t-tests for within-group comparisons, and independent t-tests for between-group differences.

Results

Post-intervention data revealed that the VRT group experienced significantly better improvements in mobility and balance. Specifically, the VRT group achieved an average time of 7.87 seconds (SD = 1.08) on the 10MWT compared to 9.70 seconds (SD = 1.08) in the PT group, with a p-value of 0.000022. Similarly, for balance, the VRT group scored an average of 46.68 (SD = 3.01) on the BBS versus 40.02 (SD = 4.67) in the PT group, with a p-value of 0.000030. In contrast, no statistically significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of motor recovery (FMA scores: 55.71, SD = 4.69 for VRT vs. 53.29, SD = 5.86 for PT; p = 0.194) or cognitive function (MoCA scores: 24.59, SD = 2.89 for VRT vs. 23.81, SD = 3.53 for PT; p = 0.484).

Conclusion

The study findings suggest that Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) leads to significantly greater improvements in physical rehabilitation outcomes, particularly in mobility and balance, when compared to traditional Physical Therapy. However, both interventions appear to be equally effective in promoting motor and cognitive recovery. Consequently, VRT represents a promising alternative or complementary method to conventional PT in enhancing physical function among stroke survivors.