Effect of Leap Motion-based 3D Immersive Virtual Reality Usage on Upper Extremity Function in Ischemic Stroke...

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Virtual Reality Technology
• Stroke Recovery

Background:

• Ischemic stroke frequently results in upper extremity dysfunction, impacting patient independence.
• Conventional therapies offer limited recovery for motor deficits.
• Immersive virtual reality (VR) presents a novel approach to enhance rehabilitation realism and engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of immersive VR rehabilitation on upper extremity function in patients post-ischemic stroke.
• To compare outcomes between immersive VR therapy and conventional rehabilitation methods.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, controlled, double-blind study involving 65 ischemic stroke patients.
• Participants were assigned to either an immersive VR group or a control group receiving conventional therapy and sham VR.
• Therapy involved 18 sessions over six weeks, with outcome measures including ARAT, FIM, FMUE, and PASS.

Main Results:

• The immersive VR group demonstrated significantly higher scores in FMUE, ARAT, FIM, and PASS compared to the control group (p < 0.05).
• VR group's FMUE and ARAT scores exceeded minimal clinically important difference (MCID) thresholds, indicating meaningful improvement.
• While self-care skills improved, functional independence (FIM scores) did not reach MCID in the VR group.

Conclusions:

• Immersive VR rehabilitation is effective for improving upper extremity motor function and self-care abilities in ischemic stroke survivors.
• Further research is needed to optimize VR protocols for enhancing overall functional independence post-stroke.