Virtual Reality-assisted Physiotherapeutic Training for Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science
• Digital Health Technologies

Background:

• Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease causing pain, functional limitation, and impaired balance.
• Traditional rehabilitation methods for KOA provide moderate benefits, necessitating exploration of novel therapeutic strategies.
• Virtual reality (VR) presents an immersive and interactive platform with potential to enhance physiotherapy engagement and efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR)-assisted physiotherapy for knee osteoarthritis (KOA).
• To compare VR physiotherapy outcomes against traditional rehabilitation in terms of pain, physical function, and balance.
• To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine VR's superiority in KOA management.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
• Included studies comparing VR-assisted physiotherapy with conventional rehabilitation for knee osteoarthritis patients.
• Analyzed pooled data to assess treatment effects on pain, physical function, and balance using standardized mean differences (SMD).

Main Results:

• The meta-analysis included 5 RCTs, encompassing VR-assisted physiotherapy for knee osteoarthritis (KOA).
• VR physiotherapy demonstrated statistically significant improvements in pain reduction (SMD=0.40, P=0.002), physical function (SMD=0.37, P=0.003), and balance (SMD=0.44, P=0.002) compared to traditional rehabilitation.
• Pooled results indicated superior outcomes for VR intervention across all assessed domains.

Conclusions:

• Virtual reality-assisted physiotherapy is a highly effective intervention for managing knee osteoarthritis (KOA).
• VR physiotherapy offers superior benefits in pain reduction, functional enhancement, and balance improvement over traditional approaches.
• VR technology represents a promising advancement in physiotherapy for knee osteoarthritis rehabilitation.