Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Committee Chair

Trey Boyd

Abstract

Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity in the United States, with one of the largest concerns being persistent neurological deficits. Traditionally, conventional rehabilitation has been initiated as soon as possible in post-stroke patients in attempt to improve function and neuroplasticity either back to patient baseline levels or to a new maintained baseline. Recently, virtual reality (VR) supported rehabilitation has been studied in comparison to traditional therapy to determine if there is potential for its utilization in patient care.

Methods: A PubMed database search was used and narrowed down to 6 articles to be interpreted in this analysis. This selection consists of 3 systemic review articles, 2 randomized control trials (RCTs), and 1 meta-analysis article that met inclusion criteria regarding utilization of virtual reality in post-stoke rehabilitation.

Results: Throughout the 6 studies, VR therapy had an association with significant improvement of upper extremity motor function, range of motion, upper extremity muscle strength, balance, gait performance of the lower extremities, executive function, memory, visuospatial ability, dizziness, trunk control, and reduction of motor deficit. There was no statistically significant improvement in either grip strength or spasticity.

Discussion: Majority of the studies found data supporting utilization of VR-supported rehabilitation, either independently or in conjuncture with conventional therapy in post-stroke patients. Combination therapy seemed to be the preferred route based on currently available data, especially to cover deficits in VR-supported rehabilitation. Further studies are recommended.

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