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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 Jan;26(1):94-100.
doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2016.08.035. Epub 2016 Sep 29.

Therapeutic Effect of Virtual Reality on Post-Stroke Patients: Randomized Clinical Trial

Erika Pedreira da Fonseca  1 , Nildo Manoel da Silva Ribeiro  2 , Elen Beatriz Pinto  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Therapeutic Effect of Virtual Reality on Post-Stroke Patients: Randomized Clinical Trial

Erika Pedreira da Fonseca et al. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2017 Jan.

Erratum in

  • Erratum.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2017 Aug;26(8):1883. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2017.02.014. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2017. PMID: 28673562 No abstract available.

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to check the therapeutic effect of virtual reality associated with conventional physiotherapy on gait balance and the occurrence of falls after a stroke.

Methods: This was a randomized, blinded clinical trial conducted with post-stroke patients, randomized into two groups-treatment group and control group-and subjected to balance assessments by the Dynamic Gait Index and investigation of falls before and after 20 intervention sessions. Statistically significant difference was considered at P < .05.

Results: We selected 30 patients, but there were three segment losses, resulting in a total of 13 patients in the control group and 14 in the treatment group. There was an improvement in gait balance and reduced occurrence of falls in both groups. After intervention, the differences in gait balance in the control group (P = .047) and the reduction in the occurrence of falls in the treatment group (P = .049) were significant. However, in intergroup analysis, there was no difference in the two outcomes.

Conclusions: Therapy with games was a useful tool for gait balance rehabilitation in post-stroke patients, with repercussions on the reduction of falls.

Keywords: Stroke; balance; rehabilitation; virtual reality.

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