Efficacy of Electrical Stimulation-Augmented Virtual Reality Training in Improving Balance in Individuals with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Objective: Ankle sprains, very common injuries occurred especially during sports activities, are mainly caused by indirect trauma, which influences exaggerated stress exceeding the strength of stabilization mechanisms. Up to 85% of such injuries result from a sudden flexion and inversion of the foot. In this study, we analyzed the effectiveness of the platform Pro-kin, an innovative system that has given us the possibility to combine the functionality of the older proprioceptive boards with very accurate software in order to improve and accelerate the recovery after ankle injuries. Methods: 30 patients with moderate ankle sprain outcomes in two groups (A and B) were included in this study. Group A was only treated with proprioceptive exercises for 3 weeks, while the group B was trained with the innovative Pro-kin. In both groups, we evaluated VAS scale, the ratio between the number of circumductions performed by the injured foot and the time spent on doing them and the percentage of load among the injured and the healthy foot in statics and dynamics with electronic baropodometry. Our data has been collected at t0 (beginning of study), t1(one week later), t2 (two weeks later), t3 (one month later), t4 (two months later), and then analyzed by the two-way analysis of variance (2-way ANOVA) test. Results: At t0 no statistical differences of pain in the 2 groups (3.3 and 3.4); the values were similar, as well as at time t1, t2, t3 and t4. Therefore we deduce that Pro-kin treatment is not painful. The number of circumductions performed was definitely better in B group since the first week; for the A group the values considerably increased only at t3 (one month later). Comparing the load percentages on two feet detected by the electronic baropodometer in statics and in dynamics, we deduced that the patients of A group tend to lean mostly on the healthy foot than B group. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that new technological resources (such as Pro-kin) may be helpful to improve and speed up the recovery of ankle sprain in athletes.

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Electronic Method (Pro-Kin) for Improving and Speeding Up the Recovery After Ankle Sprain

Marvulli

Ianieri

Pignatelli

et al. 2024

EMIDDT

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Effect of virtual reality training on standing balance in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury

Walia

Kumar

Kataria

2023

CEP

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Recovery of balance ability during standing is one of the primary and essential aims of rehabilitative programs in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). A sample of ten participants (mean age: 35.7 years, range: 25-63 years) with traumatic or non-traumatic iSCI (AIS grade C or D) and were able to stand with or without the support of an assistive device for a minimum of 2 min were recruited from the rehabilitation department of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, India. The participants received Virtual Reality (VR) based balance training for one hour, three times a week for four weeks on the Nintendo Wii gaming console. Participants were assessed three times: pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up assessment for the total ellipse area (TEA), total sway perimeter (TSP), sway range (anterior-posterior/medio-lateral (AP/ML)) and limits of stability (LOS). At post-intervention assessment, significant increases in comparison with pre-intervention scores was found in LOS (P=0.00), TEA with eyes open (EO) (P=0.00) and eyes closed (EC) (P=0.00), TSP with EO (P=0.00) and EC (P=0.00), sway range in AP direction (SD-AP) with EO (P=0.01) and EC (P=0.02) and sway range in ML direction (SD-ML) with EO (P=0.02) and EC (P=0.01). At follow-up assessment, a significant improvement in comparison to post intervention scores was found in TEA measured both in EO (P=0.01) and EC conditions (P=0.02), TSP measured with EO (P=0.01) and SD-ML both with EO (P=0.04) and EC (P=0.01). No significant changes were found in LOS (P=0.89), TSP measured with EC (P=0.38) and SD-AP both with EO (P=0.50) and EC (P=1). However, significant improvement was seen on comparing follow-up assessment scores with pre-intervention scores for all variables, such as LOS (P=0.00), TEA in EO (P=0.00) and EC (P=0.00), TSP with EO (P=0.00) and EC (P=0.00), SD-AP with EO (P=0.01) and EC (P=0.02) and SD-ML with EO (P=0.01) and EC (P=0.00). VR-based balance training intervention was able to elicit improvements in balance ability and maintain it during follow-up despite a small training dosage suggesting that it is a promising intervention for standing balance rehabilitation among individuals with iSCI. The VR-based balance training challenges elements of balance, which physical therapists may want to consider when designing a comprehensive rehabilitation program. Clinical Trials Registry-India: CTRI/2018/12/016814.

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Efficacy of Electrical Stimulation-Augmented Virtual Reality Training in Improving Balance in Individuals with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Cited by 2 publications

References 27 publications

Electronic Method (Pro-Kin) for Improving and Speeding Up the Recovery After Ankle Sprain

Electronic Method (Pro-Kin) for Improving and Speeding Up the Recovery After Ankle Sprain

Effect of virtual reality training on standing balance in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury

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