Efficacy of Virtual Reality-Based Sword Fighting Exercises to Improve Upper Body Movements in Hemiplegic Patients VR Sword Fighting for Hemiplegia Rehabilitation
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Stroke is a leading cause of disability, with hemiplegia affecting the motor function of stroke survivors. Traditional rehabilitation methods often yield limited improvements. Virtual reality (VR) technology offers a novel approach to enhancing upper body movements through immersive, task-oriented exercises.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of VR-based sword fighting exercises in improving upper body movements in hemiplegic patients.
Methods: A randomized, controlled, single-blind trial was conducted with 62 hemiplegic patients at Hussain Memorial Hospital, Lahore. Participants were randomly assigned to either the VR-based sword fighting group or the conventional physical therapy (CT) group. Both groups received 12 sessions over three weeks. Outcomes were measured using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, with a p-value of <0.05 considered significant.
Results: The VR group showed significantly greater improvements compared to the CT group in post-treatment scores for FIM (115.32 ± 6.665 vs. 79.71 ± 10.681, p = 0.000), FMA, and ARAT (z = -6.778, p = 0.000).
Conclusion: VR-based sword fighting exercises significantly improved upper body movements in hemiplegic patients compared to conventional therapy, suggesting a promising role for VR in stroke rehabilitation.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Organization. WH. The top 10 causes of death [EB/OL]. 2021.
Sun X, Xu K, Shi Y, Li H, Li R, Yang S, et al. Discussion on the Rehabilitation of Stroke Hemiplegia Based on Interdisciplinary Combination of Medicine and Engineering. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2021;2021(1):6631835.
Yadav V, Gera C, Yadav R. Evolution in hemiplegic management: a review. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research. 2018;8(5):360-9.
American Stroke Association. About Stroke. 2021. Available from: https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke.
NINDS NIoNDaSHRf. 2021. Available from: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/stroke.
Bargeri S, Scalea S, Agosta F, Banfi G, Corbetta D, Filippi M, et al. Effectiveness and safety of virtual reality rehabilitation after stroke: an overview of systematic reviews. EClinicalMedicine. 2023;64.
Feigin VL, Stark BA, Johnson CO, Roth GA, Bisignano C, Abady GG, et al. Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Neurology. 2021;20(10):795-820.
Kamal AK, Itrat A, Murtaza M, Khan M, Rasheed A, Ali A, et al. The burden of stroke and transient ischemic attack in Pakistan: a community-based prevalence study. BMC neurology. 2009;9:1-11.
Cameirão MS, Bermúdez i Badia S, Verschure PF. Virtual reality based upper extremity rehabilitation following stroke: a review. Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation. 2008;1(1):63-74.
Sung Y-B, Lee D-H, Lee J-H. Descriptive study on rehabilitation treatment methods for improving upper limb function in stroke patients. IJANER. 2020;5(2):19-28.
Saposnik G, Cohen LG, Mamdani M, Pooyania S, Ploughman M, Cheung D, et al. Efficacy and safety of non-immersive virtual reality exercising in stroke rehabilitation (EVREST): a randomised, multicentre, single-blind, controlled trial. The Lancet Neurology. 2016;15(10):1019-27.
Slater M, Sanchez-Vives MV. Enhancing our lives with immersive virtual reality. Frontiers in Robotics and AI. 2016;3:74.
Laver KE, Lange B, George S, Deutsch JE, Saposnik G, Crotty M. Virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation. Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2017(11).
Dehesa J, Vidler A, Lutteroth C, Padget J, editors. Touché: Data-driven interactive sword fighting in virtual reality2020.
Levin MF, Weiss PL, Keshner EA. Emergence of virtual reality as a tool for upper limb rehabilitation: incorporation of motor control and motor learning principles. Physical therapy. 2015;95(3):415-25.
Hoffmann JJ, Reed JP, Leiting K, Chiang C-Y, Stone MH. Repeated sprints, high-intensity interval training, small-sided games: Theory and application to field sports. International journal of sports physiology and performance. 2014;9(2):352-7.
Kong K-H, Loh Y-J, Thia E, Chai A, Ng C-Y, Soh Y-M, et al. Efficacy of a virtual reality commercial gaming device in upper limb recovery after stroke: a randomized, controlled study. Topics in stroke rehabilitation. 2016;23(5):333-40.
Khizhnikova A, Klochkov A, Kotov-Smolenskiy A, Suponeva N, Chernikova L. Virtual reality as an upper limb rehabilitation approach. Human Physiology. 2017;43:855-62.
Kiper P, Szczudlik A, Agostini M, Opara J, Nowobilski R, Ventura L, et al. Virtual reality for upper limb rehabilitation in subacute and chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 2018;99(5):834-42. e4.
Turolla A, Dam M, Ventura L, Tonin P, Agostini M, Zucconi C, et al. Virtual reality for the rehabilitation of the upper limb motor function after stroke: a prospective controlled trial. Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation. 2013;10:1-9.