Efficacy and safety of non-immersive virtual reality exercising in stroke rehabilitation (EVREST): a randomised, multicentre, single-blind, controlled trial

Publication date: September 2016 Source:The Lancet Neurology, Volume 15, Issue 10 Author(s): Gustavo Saposnik, Leonardo G Cohen, Muhammad Mamdani, Sepideth Pooyania, Michelle Ploughman, Donna Cheung, Jennifer Shaw, Judith Hall, Peter Nord, Sean Dukelow, Yongchai Nilanont, Felipe De los Rios, Lisandro Olmos, Mindy Levin, Robert Teasell, Ashley Cohen, Kevin Thorpe, Andreas Laupacis, Mark Bayley Background Non-immersive virtual reality is an emerging strategy to enhance motor performance for stroke rehabilitation. There has been rapid adoption of non-immersive virtual reality as a rehabilitation strategy despite the limited evidence about its safety and effectiveness. Our aim was to compare the safety and efficacy of virtual reality with recreational therapy on motor recovery in patients after an acute ischaemic stroke. Methods In this randomised, controlled, single-blind, parallel-group trial we enrolled adults (aged 18–85 years) who had a first-ever ischaemic stroke and a motor deficit of the upper extremity score of 3 or more (measured with the Chedoke-McMaster scale) within 3 months of randomisation from 14 in-patient stroke rehabilitation units from four countries (Canada [11], Argentina [1], Peru [1], and Thailand [1]). Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) by a computer-generated assignment at enrolment to receive a programme of structured, task-oriented, upper extremity sessions (ten sessions, 60 min each) of either non-immersive virtual real...
Source: The Lancet Neurology - Category: Neurology Source Type: research