Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul 24;13(15):1800.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare13151800.

Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Physical Function, Fall-Related Outcomes, Fatigue, and Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Damla Parmak  1 , Ender Angın  1 , Gozde Iyigun  1
Affiliations

Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Physical Function, Fall-Related Outcomes, Fatigue, and Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Damla Parmak et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an immersive virtual reality (IVR) program on balance, physical fitness, risk of falling, fear of falling, fatigue, and quality of life in older adults compared with an active control group (ACG). Methods: A total of 44 older adults were randomly assigned to either the IVR group (n = 22) or the ACG (n = 22) for an 8-week period. The IVR group participated in 35-min immersive virtual reality sessions three times a week, whereas the ACG followed a home-based traditional exercise program. Evaluations were conducted both before and after the intervention period. Results: Compared with the ACG, the participants in the IVR group demonstrated significant improvements in balance, upper and lower extremity strength, lower extremity flexibility, fatigue levels, and specific aspects of quality of life such as autonomy and social participation. Treatment satisfaction was also higher in the IVR group. Conclusions: An 8-week immersive virtual reality intervention was effective in improving physical function, reducing fatigue, and enhancing specific domains of quality of life among older adults.

Keywords: exercise therapy; fatigue; fear of falling; older adults; physical function; quality of life; risk of falling; virtual reality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT 2010 flow diagram of study design.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Oculus Meta Quest 2 headset.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Views of the FIT-XR BOX mode on the Oculus Meta Quest 2 headset. (A) First-person view during gameplay. (B) Views of different environments in the same exercise mode.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Views of FIT-XR SLAM mode on the Oculus Meta Quest 2 headset. (A) First-person view during gameplay. (B) Appearance of different balls in the same exercise mode.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The exercise program developed for the active control group by the physiotherapist.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Kowal P., Dowd J.E. Definition of an Older Person: Proposed Working Definition of an Older Person in Africa for the MDS Project. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2001. - DOI
    1. Lutz W., Sanderson W., Scherbov S. The coming acceleration of global population ageing. Nature. 2008;451:716–719. doi: 10.1038/nature06516. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sanderson W.C., Scherbov S. Remeasuring aging. Science. 2010;329:1287–1288. doi: 10.1126/science.1193647. - DOI - PubMed
    1. United Nations . Decade of Healthy Ageing: 2021–2030. United Nations; New York, NY, USA: 2020. [(accessed on 10 October 2024)]. Available online: https://social.desa.un.org/sdn/decade-of-healthy-ageing-2021-2030.
    1. World Health Organization . Ageing and Health Unit. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2020. [(accessed on 10 October 2024)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/teams/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-health-and-a....

LinkOut - more resources