The Effect of Virtual Reality Exercise Program on Sitting Balance Ability of Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Abstract

(1) Background: Virtual reality (VR) is a useful device for rehabilitation therapy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of virtual reality exercise program on sitting balance with spinal cord injury; (2) Methods: 20 subjects who selected on the basis of the screening criteria were divided into the experimental group (n = 10) who underwent the virtual reality exercise program and rehabilitation therapy and the control group (n = 10) who underwent a regular sitting balance training program and a regular rehabilitation therapy. Each intervention consisted of a 30-min session a day, three times a week, for eight weeks. In order to measure functions of the sitting balance, FSA (force sensitive application) and LOS (limit of stability) were used before and after the treatment intervention; (3) Results: We found significant differences for the FSA, LOS between pre-test and post-test in the 2 groups; (4) Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that virtual reality exercise program can be applied as a useful approach for spinal cord injury patients.

BridGE: A New System to Train Selective Pelvis Movements

“…For example, some studies [11], [15] and clinical trials [1], [39] demonstrated that additional core stability exercises performed in clinic or at home with the help of robotic systems or passive devices were useful for improving dynamic sitting balance and trunk control for stroke survivors having an impact also on their daily life activities. Similarly for people with spinal cord injury [25], [26], [28], [40]. Other groups [19], [20], [21] proved the effects of a specific training with extra conditioning exercises for low back muscles strengthening or with a stability ball for reducing back pain of sedentary individuals, or of people with history of chronic low back pain.…”

“…Future directions and improvements will be to enlarge the testing populations including those with specific needs for sitting balance training e.g., athletes, older adults, or people with chronic low back pain. Moreover, longer training lasting multiple weeks might be another good improvement since it has been already proven that intensive motor training for recovering any upper or lower limb lost or impaired motor abilities has strong effects [11], [26], [38], [41], [42], [44], [45]. Furthermore, to verify if the information on trunk posture we provide during training is fundamental to target and correct wrong behaviors it will be interesting to add a second group that will practice with the same protocol, but without receiving any feedback on trunk posture during the training.…”

“…Additionally, Weston et al [23] demonstrated that selective core training improved trunk rotation velocity and power in golfers. Several studies have explored the use of sensor-based systems and virtual reality (VR) from very expensive tools to more accessible ones in the training of core stability and sitting balance [12], [15], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28]. These include virtual reality systems, balance boards, and mobile applications that provide visual and auditory feedback to enhance motor learning and challenge the neuromuscular system.…”

A Review about the Effectiveness of Virtual Therapy in the Recovery of Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries

“…Each session lasts thirty minutes twice a week for eight weeks. Equilibrium functions were measured according to the protocols described in the literature [66].…”

The effect of virtual reality on restoring the balance of adult patients with spinal cord injury

“…The results showed that group A improved further, in terms of balance and functioning. Furthermore, Lee and Lee [8] investigated the effect of a VR program on the balance in a sitting position in patients with SCI. The study involved 20 patients, who were equally divided into two groups.…”