Virtual reality rehabilitation improved balance test scores after stroke, but confidence is limited
A review of randomized trials found better scores on several balance tests, but inconsistent study results and bias limit confidence.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In adults with stroke, pooled randomized trials favored virtual reality rehabilitation for several measures of balance and standing control. An eyes-closed sway-speed measure showed no clear difference. These results suggest possible rehabilitation benefits, but variation and bias across studies leave uncertainty about the size and everyday importance of those benefits.
This abstract-based summary reports test outcomes. The review found substantial variation between studies and high risk of bias across several outcomes; the clinical relevance and magnitude of benefits still need confirmation.
What researchers found
Berg Balance Scale score
Virtual reality versus conventional rehabilitation; assessment timing was not reported in the abstract.
What was compared
Trials tested virtual reality either alone or alongside conventional therapy in adults with stroke. The review separated standing-control measurements from dynamic balance tests, rather than treating balance as a single outcome.
Where results differed
Berg Balance Scale and Timed Up-and-Go results favored virtual reality. Several standing-control measures also favored it, but the eyes-closed sway-speed result did not show a clear difference, so improvement was not uniform.
The original publication
Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Therapy on Static Postural Control and Dynamic Balance in Stroke Patients: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Tian MY, Lee MH, Kim JH et al.
Medicina (Kaunas) · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41597377
- Record checked
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