Effect of virtual reality on improving arm function in individuals with cerebral palsy: an overview of meta-analyses

This overview was to understand the impact of virtual reality (VR) on upper-extremity function in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). A systematic literature search was conducted using electronic databases (e.g. PubMed, Web of Science) and a manual search of the reference lists of each article. The quality of meta-analysis, average effect size, heterogeneity, and moderators were extracted and evaluated. Thirteen meta-analyses were included, with only one review (7.7%) rated High and the rest rated Critical Low (53.8%) or Low (38.5%). Immediate post-VR effect ranged from medium to large effect with an average effect of 0.69: VR showed a large effect of arm function (0.81) but a small effect of hand function (0.43). Short-term VR effect was inconsistent. Most meta-analyses showed moderate to substantial heterogeneity. VR seems to be a viable intervention to improve arm function, but further studies with vigorous design are needed.