Effectiveness of virtual reality exercise training on gait performance in older adults: a Meta-analysis
10.3760/cma.j.cn115682-20250117-00293
- VernacularTitle:虚拟现实运动训练对老年人步态性能影响的Meta分析
- Author:
Yulin LIANG
1
;
Huan ZHANG
1
;
Mingyue ZHU
1
;
Zheng LI
1
Author Information
1. 中国医学科学院北京协和医学院护理学院，北京 100144
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Aged;
Virtual reality;
Exercise;
Gait;
Meta-analysis
- From:
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing
2025;31(13):1773-1782
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To systematically evaluate the effect of virtual reality exercise training on gait performance in older adults.Methods:Randomized controlled trials on the rehabilitation effects of virtual reality exercise training on gait performance in older adults were electronically searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP, and China Biology Medicine disc. The search period was from establishing of the database to January 10, 2025. Version 2 of the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included literature. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4.Results:A total of 27 articles were included. Meta-analysis showed that the effect of virtual reality exercise on improving the functional walking ability of older adults was better than traditional exercise [ WMD=-0.83, 95% CI (-1.31, -0.36) , P<0.01]. However, virtual reality exercise did not improve step speed, stride length, step frequency, and dynamic gait indices in older adults ( P>0.05) . Subgroup analysis showed that virtual reality exercise was more effective than traditional exercise in improving step speed in older adults when the length of the weekly intervention was≥120 min [ SMD=0.48, 95% CI (0.04, 0.92) , P=0.03]. Conclusions:Virtual reality exercise training effectively improves walking ability in older adults but has no advantage in improving refined gait-related indicators. Future interventions in the form of virtual reality exercise training combined with traditional exercise rehabilitation are recommended for older adults.
