AI Article Synopsis

  • The study assessed the impact of virtual reality (VR) gait training on walking distance and fitness in Parkinson's Disease patients, using a controlled trial design with 37 participants.
  • Participants were divided into three groups: a control group with conventional training, a treadmill group, and a VR group using XboxTM for training.
  • Results showed that both the VR and treadmill groups improved in walking distance and gait speed compared to the control group, but the benefits from the VR group didn't last at the follow-up.

Article Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of gait training with virtual reality (VR) on walking distance and physical fitness in individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD).

Methods: Thirty-seven individuals with PD participated in this prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. They were randomly allocated to a control group submitted to conventional training (n = 12), a treadmill group submitted to gait training on a treadmill (n = 13) and a VR group submitted to gait training using the XboxTM (n = 12). Clinical measures, gait variables and the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) were evaluated: pre-intervention, after one intervention session, post-intervention and follow up (30 days after intervention).

Results: The VR and treadmill groups travelled longer distances on the 6MWT and had faster gait speed in comparison to the control group. The VR and treadmill groups demonstrated an increase in pre-6MWT HR. The VR group had more intense HR after the first session and throughout training, but these gains were not maintained at the follow-up.

Conclusion: The present findings demonstrate that gait training with a VR program is as effective as treadmill training with regard to gains in walking distance and improvements in temporal gait variables in individuals with PD.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/NRE-172355DOI Listing

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