The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation in Patients with Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common health problem leading to pain, limitation in physical function, a decrease in the quality of life and disability. OA affects 60–70% of the population above 65 years of age all over the world, and is associated with a high cost of healthcare. The main method of treatment of OA, apart from pharmacotherapy and surgery, is comprehensive rehabilitation. Advances in medical technology have resulted in the possibility of using computer-assisted interventions in rehabilitation. The present narrative review is aimed at investigating the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in the rehabilitation of elderly patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis, including patients after arthroplasty. This literature review based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was carried out in five databases: PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus and PEDro. It includes ten randomized controlled trials focused on the application of games and biofeedback in the rehabilitation of patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis. There are no conclusive reports that interventions based on VR are more effective than standard physical therapy. Moreover, evidence regarding patients after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is very scarce. The effectiveness of VR-based rehabilitation is unclear, although interventions based on VR are promising in view of pain management, postural and proprioception training. However, this evidence is not sufficient to create clinical guidelines and further high-quality studies are needed.

Virtual reality-based rehabilitation in patients following total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…[ 5 ] Post-operative progressive exercise program achieves faster recovery, better function, and improved range of motion (ROM). [ 6 ]…”

“…[ 11 , 13 , 14 ] In orthopedic rehabilitation, the advantage of VR-based rehabilitation has been explored in patients with osteoarthritis, low back pain, and anterior cruciate ligament injury. [ 6 , 15 , 16 ] Although some studies have investigated the effect of VR equipment on TKA patients, [ 17 , 18 ] there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate the advantage of VR. A systematic review reported that VR-based rehabilitation has no benefit in increasing function, relieving pain, or increasing satisfaction following TKA compared to conventional rehabilitation.…”

Usability Testing of a New Tool for Tracking Therapeutic Exercise Patterns in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

“…In a review study conducted on the effectiveness of the telerehabilitation method (ie, virtual reality [VR]) in patients with knee OA, the effectiveness of VR-based rehabilitation was unclear; however, interventions based on VR were promising in managing pain and postural and proprioception training (40). In addition, VR-based rehabilitation is an expensive method, leading to financial problems for the users.…”

Jogo para o ensino de reabilitação na pessoa submetida a artoplastia da anca: estudo de caso

“…Conforme referido no início deste artigo existe ainda uma escassez da utilização de jogos no ensino à pessoa submetida a artroplastia da anca, o que não nos permite comparar os resultados nesta discussão (11,12) . Observam-se porém alguns dados mas referente à recurso à Nintendo e WI para a reabilitação (22)(23)(24) .…”

“…Os avanços recentes na tecnologia a resultaram numa introdução gradual de intervenções assistidas por computador na reabilitação. Nas últimas décadas, novas tecnologias em reabilitação foram desenvolvidas numa gama de tecnologias empregadas que variam de plataformas de jogos populares e baratos a sistemas altamente especializados com plataformas de hardware e software dedicadas (12) .…”