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Published on: February 12, 2020
Effect of virtual reality therapy on functional development in children with cerebral palsy: A single-blind,
Burcu Metin Ökmen1, Meryem Doğan Aslan2, Güldal Funda Nakipoğlu Yüzer2
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Health Sciences, Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
Insights
Virtual reality (VR) therapy significantly improved motor and functional development in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Adding VR to conventional rehabilitation enhances treatment outcomes for CP.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Pediatric Neurology
- Virtual Reality Applications
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) presents significant challenges in motor and functional development for affected children.
- Conventional rehabilitation methods offer benefits but may have limitations in maximizing developmental potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) therapy as an adjunct to conventional treatment for children with cerebral palsy (CP).
- To assess the impact of VR therapy on motor function, functional levels, and mobility in pediatric CP patients.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 41 children with CP (mean age 8.49 years) receiving inpatient treatment.
- The study group (n=21) received conventional therapy plus 12 one-hour VR sessions over four weeks; the control group (n=20) received only conventional therapy.
- Assessments included the Bimanual Fine Motor Function (BFMF) test, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), and Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) before and after the intervention.
Main Results:
- The VR therapy group demonstrated significant improvements in BFMF, GMFCS, and FMS scores post-treatment compared to baseline (p<0.05).
- Statistically significant advantages were observed for the VR group across all measured parameters when compared to pre-treatment values.
- VR therapy, when added to conventional rehabilitation, yielded superior outcomes in motor and functional development.
Conclusions:
- Virtual reality therapy is a valuable tool for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy, enhancing motor function.
- Integrating VR therapy into standard rehabilitation protocols can significantly improve treatment success rates for pediatric CP.
- VR therapy offers a promising approach to augment traditional therapies for improved developmental outcomes in CP.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of virtual reality (VR) therapy on motor and functional development in children with cerebral palsy (CP).
Patients And Methods:
In this single-blind, prospective, randomized-controlled study, a total of 41 patients (28 males, 13 females; mean age 8.49 years; range, 5 to 15 years) receiving inpatient treatment for CP were included between April 2009 and September 2009. The patients were randomly divided into two groups as the study group (n=21) and control group (n=20). Neurophysiological and conventional treatment methods, and occupational therapy were applied to all patients. In addition, a total of 12 VR therapy sessions for one hour were administered three days a week for four weeks to the study group. Before and after treatment, the Bimanual Fine Motor Function (BFMF) test was performed to measure hand functioning, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) for functional levels, and Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) for mobility.
Results:
There was a significant increase in the BFMF, GMFCS, and FMS scores after treatment, compared to baseline values in the study group (p<0.05). There was a statistically significant results in favor of the study group for all parameters after treatment compared to pre-treatment values (p<0.05).
Conclusion:
Our study results indicate that VR therapy is a useful treatment method which can be used in rehabilitation of CP with improved motor function. The addition of this method to conventional rehabilitation techniques may have a significant impact on treatment success.
