Virtual reality technology improves the gait and balance function of the elderly: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Introduction Improving the gait and balance function is an important part of the health of the elderly. This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of virtual reality (VR) technology on the gait and balance function of the elderly. Material and methods Two authors independen...

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Main Authors: Junyu Chen, Shuxia Yan, Haiyan Yin, Dan Lin, Ziqi Mei, Zichun Ding, Meng Wang, Yamei Bai, Guihua Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Termedia Publishing House 2024-07-01
Series:Archives of Medical Science
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Online Access:https://www.archivesofmedicalscience.com/Virtual-reality-technology-improves-the-gait-and-balance-function-of-the-elderly,186353,0,2.html
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Summary:Introduction Improving the gait and balance function is an important part of the health of the elderly. This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of virtual reality (VR) technology on the gait and balance function of the elderly. Material and methods Two authors independently searched EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang and Weipu databases up to October 20, 2023 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the application of VR in improving the gait and balance function in the elderly. We screened the literature, extracted data and evaluated the bias risk of included RCTs, and used RevMan software for meta-analysis. Results Fourteen RCTs were finally included in this meta-analysis. A total of 662 elderly adults were included, of whom 336 underwent VR intervention. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the gait and balance function of the elderly in the VR group were significantly better than those in the traditional intervention group (all p 0.05). Conclusions VR can effectively improve the gait and dynamic and static balance function of the elderly. However, the effect of VR on increasing the muscle strength of lower extremities and reducing the fear of falling in the elderly is still not obvious.
ISSN:1734-1922
1896-9151