EFFECTIVENESS OF VIRTUAL REALITY IN RECOVERY OF MOTOR FUNCTION IN POST-STROKE HEMIPARESIS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

Virtual Reality(VR) is a novel treatment approach for stroke rehabilitation as it enables individuals to reproduce standard controlled
movements to accomplish functional task. In contrast to conventional rehabilitation that is monotonous, long-term and challenging,
VR increases patient interest in rehabilitation thereby reduces the boredom and adaptation therefore enhances the visuo-spatial
feedback. It has been observed that approximately 65% of the stroke survivors suffer hemiparesis that predominantly leads difficulty
in performing daily living activities. Therefore, this study aims to assess the sensorimotor and functional performance in post-stroke hemiparetic
patients using VR based gaming system. A total of 81 participants who had first-ever ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke with onset
of >6 months, enrolled in post-acute rehabilitation program at Tertiary Care Hospital were included. The VR gaming software named
Wonder Tree (WT) © was used for the intervention. All participants were required to play two different games i.e. bucket ball and
bubble pop for 15-20 minutes, 3 days/week for the duration of 8th weeks. Participants were assessed on baseline and post-intervention
on Fugyl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and Wolf Motor Function Test (W.MFT) to assess sensorimotor function and
functional skills. Participants showed significant improvement in sensorimotor function and functional abilities (p<0.05) after 8th
weeks of intervention. It was concluded that VR gaming is effective in improving motor recovery in post-stroke hemiparesis. Besides,
future clinical trials are needed to be conduct to establish VR gaming system as an alternative to conventional stroke rehabilitation.

KEYWORDS
Virtual Reality, Stroke, Upper Extremity, Paresis, Neuroplasticity, Rehabilitation, Range of Motion