Efficacy of Virtual Reality in Upper Limb Rehabilitation in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

This study investigated whether using virtual reality (VR) with conventional therapy is more effective than conventional therapy alone for improving upper limb function in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. The researchers used Nintendo Wii as the VR intervention. Patients were divided into two groups: one receiving VR intervention plus conventional therapy and the other receiving conventional therapy alone. Both groups underwent therapy for 4 weeks, and their hand function, gross motor dexterity, independence in daily living, and quality of life were assessed. The study found that VR combined with conventional therapy showed similar improvements in upper limb function compared to conventional therapy alone. However, patients using VR reported a higher level of satisfaction.

• 1
  Virtual reality combined with conventional therapy produced similar results in upper limb function as conventional therapy alone.
• 2
  Patients in the VR group showed a greater percentage change in CUE questionnaire and BBT scores from pre-intervention to post-intervention, though not statistically significant.
• 3
  Patients reported high satisfaction with Wii-based therapy, with a mean score of 8.17±1.2 on the Visual Analog Scale.