A Review of the Potential of Virtual Walking Techniques for Gait Rehabilitation

Janeh, Omar; Steinicke, Frank

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2021.717291

Cited by 17 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 169 publications

(187 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Technologies that provide visual information and feedback include head-mounted displays (HMD), monitors, or large screen projectors (e.g., cave automatic virtual environment, CAVE) to create partially or fully immersive environments (Bishop and Fuchs, 1992 ; Milgram et al, 1995 ). Some studies support the use of fully immersive virtual reality (VR) for walking rehabilitation (Borrego et al, 2016 ; Janeh and Steinicke, 2021 ). These virtual environments rely on “walking-in-place” or “redirected walking” strategies to emulate features of the real world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Wearable Mixed Reality Platform to Augment Overground Walking: A Feasibility Study

Evans

Dass

Muter

et al. 2022

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humans routinely modify their walking speed to adapt to functional goals and physical demands. However, damage to the central nervous system (CNS) often results in abnormal modulation of walking speed and increased risk of falls. There is considerable interest in treatment modalities that can provide safe and salient training opportunities, feedback about walking performance, and that may augment less reliable sensory feedback within the CNS after injury or disease. Fully immersive virtual reality technologies show benefits in boosting training-related gains in walking performance; however, they lack views of the real world that may limit functional carryover. Augmented reality and mixed reality head-mount displays (MR-HMD) provide partially immersive environments to extend the virtual reality benefits of interacting with virtual objects but within an unobstructed view of the real world. Despite this potential advantage, the feasibility of using MR-HMD visual feedback to promote goal-directed changes in overground walking speed remains unclear. Thus, we developed and evaluated a novel mixed reality application using the Microsoft HoloLens MR-HMD that provided real-time walking speed targets and augmented visual feedback during overground walking. We tested the application in a group of adults not living with disability and examined if they could use the targets and visual feedback to walk at 85%, 100%, and 115% of each individual’s self-selected speed. We examined whether individuals were able to meet each target gait speed and explored differences in accuracy across repeated trials and at the different speeds. Additionally, given the importance of task-specificity to therapeutic interventions, we examined if walking speed adjustment strategies were consistent with those observed during usual overground walking, and if walking with the MR-HMD resulted in increased variability in gait parameters. Overall, participants matched their overground walking speed to the target speed of the MR-HMD visual feedback conditions (all p-values > 0.05). The percent inaccuracy was approximately 5% across all speed matching conditions and remained consistent across walking trials after the first overall walking trial. Walking with the MR-HMD did not result in more variability in walking speed, however, we observed more variability in stride length and time when walking with feedback from the MR-HMD compared to walking without feedback. The findings offer support for mixed reality-based visual feedback as a method to provoke goal-specific changes in overground walking behavior. Further studies are necessary to determine the clinical safety and efficacy of this MR-HMD technology to provide extrinsic sensory feedback in combination with traditional treatments in rehabilitation.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Wearable Mixed Reality Platform to Augment Overground Walking: A Feasibility Study

Evans

Dass

Muter

et al. 2022

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The VR rehabilitation was found to improve gait and balance significantly. 51 , 52 , 53 The VR produced a similar impact on long- and short-term effects on gait and balance. 43 , 54 Moreover, VR training exercises reduced the risk of falls.…”

Section: Gait and Balance In Pd And Exercisementioning

confidence: 90%

The role of exercise in Parkinson’s Disease

Almikhlafi

2023

NSJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive widespread neurodegenerative disorder affecting the brain. It is characterized by dopaminergic neuron degeneration in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Current therapeutic options ease the symptoms of PD; however, they have multiple undesirable effects and do not slow the disease progression. Exercise by itself has many positive impacts on general health. In this review, the positive impact of different forms of exercise were found to improve motor and nonmotor symptoms in PD. Exercise effects is mediate by multiple mechanisms, including the upregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor, and autophagy regulating proteins; and downregulates proinflammatory cytokines. In this review, the significance of exercise in PD, as well as in the prevention and maintenance of the disease was discussed. Many questions are left unanswered in this manuscript, including potential genetic factors underlying response to exercise. Therefore, further high-quality studies on humans are needed.Disclosure. The authors declare no conflicting interests, support or funding from any drug company.

show abstract

“…Furthermore, Janeh et al reported that VR might improve the gait of persons with neurological disorders after experiencing it. As a result of their observations, they stressed the importance of using virtual walking approaches in rehabilitation [31].…”

Section: Gait Improvement After Vr Interventionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Vibrotactile Feedback to Make Real Walking inVirtual Reality More Accessible

Mahmud¹,

Stewart²,

Cordova³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

<p>This research aims to examine the effects of various vibrotactile feedback techniques on gait (i.e., walking patterns) in virtual reality (VR). Prior studies have demonstrated that gait disturbances in VR users are significant usability barriers. However, adequate research has not been performed to address this problem. In our study, 39 participants (with mobility impairments: 18, without mobility impairments: 21) performed timed walking tasks in a real-world environment and identical activities in a VR environment with different forms of vibrotactile feedback (spatial, static, and rhythmic). Within-group results revealed that each form of vibrotactile feedback improved gait performance in VR significantly (p < .001) relative to the no vibrotactile condition in VR for individuals with and without mobility impairments. Moreover, spatial vibrotactile feedback increased gait performance significantly (p < .001) in both participant groups compared to other vibrotactile conditions. The findings of this research will help to make real walking in VR more accessible for those with and without mobility impairments. </p>

show abstract

A Review of the Potential of Virtual Walking Techniques for Gait Rehabilitation

Cited by 17 publications

References 169 publications

A Wearable Mixed Reality Platform to Augment Overground Walking: A Feasibility Study

A Wearable Mixed Reality Platform to Augment Overground Walking: A Feasibility Study

The role of exercise in Parkinson’s Disease

Vibrotactile Feedback to Make Real Walking inVirtual Reality More Accessible

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About