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Review
. 2024 Nov 4;11(11):1112.
doi: 10.3390/bioengineering11111112.

Virtual Reality-Based Therapy Can Enhance Balance and Muscular Endurance in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis

Marina Piñar-Lara  1   2 , Irene Cortés-Pérez  2 , Ángeles Díaz-Fernández  2 , María de Alharilla Montilla-Ibáñez  3 , Ana Sedeño-Vidal  2 , Esteban Obrero-Gaitán  2
Affiliations
Review

Virtual Reality-Based Therapy Can Enhance Balance and Muscular Endurance in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis

Marina Piñar-Lara et al. Bioengineering (Basel). .

Abstract

Physical exercises are crucial for enhancing postural balance and muscle strength in children and adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). Virtual reality-based therapy (VRBT), which utilizes exergames, can favor performing physical activity. The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of VRBT in improving balance and muscular endurance in children and adolescents with DS. Since inception up to August 2024, we screened in PubMed Medline, SCOPUS, WOS, CINAHL, and PEDro studies that assessed the effectiveness of VRBT, compared to conventional therapy (CT) or usual care (UC), in improving balance and muscular endurance in DS. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. Effect size in meta-analyses was calculated with the Cohen's standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Nine studies providing data from 424 participants with good methodological quality (PEDro: 6.3 ± 1.2 points) were included. Our meta-analysis showed that VRBT is more effective than controls in increasing function (SMD = 1.22; 95% CI 0.64 to 1.81; p < 0.001), dynamic balance (SMD = -2.2; 95% CI -3.1 to -1.25; p < 0.001), and muscular endurance (SMD = 1.37; 95% CI 0.58 to 2.2; p < 0.001). This is the first meta-analysis to exclusively focus on children and adolescents with DS, demonstrating the effectiveness of VRBT in enhancing balance and muscular endurance.

Keywords: down syndrome; exergames; meta-analysis; muscular endurance; postural balance; video games; virtual reality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The PRISMA flow diagram for the study selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The forest plot of the effectiveness of VRBT in increasing functional balance [69,70,71,72,73,74].
Figure 3
Figure 3
The forest plot of the effectiveness of VRBT in increasing dynamic balance [69,74,77].
Figure 4
Figure 4
The forest plot of the effectiveness of VRBT in increasing static balance with open and closed eyes [70,75].
Figure 5
Figure 5
The forest plot of the effectiveness of VRBT in increasing muscular endurance [69,73,76,77].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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