The Effectiveness of Treadmill Virtual Reality Therapy in Treating Acute Stroke Patients a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocol
Updated Evidence Justifying the Knowledge Gap
According to a systematic review (SR) study by Moreira et al. (2013), there is limited literature regarding virtual reality (VR) use in enhancing gait among patients diagnosed with stroke. As per their systematic review, the available scholarly works had low methodological rigour. For instance, one of the identified study’s methodological characteristics included inadequate randomization and the lack of blinding in the study. This context leaves numerous questions about VR effectiveness that must be addressed via studies with adequate rigour. In this respect, considering that VR treadmill training is a relatively new approach in treating and enhancing gait among patients diagnosed with a stroke, recent randomized control clinical trials (RCT) should be reviewed. These include RCTs by de Rooij et al. (2021), which evaluate the effect of VR gait training on subacute stroke survivors’ participation, and that by Kim et al. (2016), which evaluate the effect of VR treadmill training on the community’s confidence, balance and gait in individuals seeking treatment at the post-stroke stage. Based on these new updated pieces of evidence, there is a need to synthesize these pieces of literature in a systematic review and meta-analysis.
PICO question:
Does treadmill virtual reality therapy improve gait function in comparison to traditional treatment in physiotherapy patients post-stroke?
