Effect of virtual reality exercises on balance and fall in elderly people with fall risk: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background Deficient balance and fear of falling in elderly people can lead to disturbed daily activities, falling, and finally reduced quality of life. Therefore, evaluation of low-risk methods that might partially improve balance in this group of people is of utmost importance. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) exercises based on Xbox Kinect on balance and fear of falling among elderly people. Methods This clinical trial was performed on 60 elderly individuals living in nursing homes divided into two groups of control and Xbox. The participants in the intervention group received VR exercises based on Xbox Kinect in form of two 30–45-min sessions held on a weekly basis for 6 weeks. The individuals in the control group, on the other hand, received routine exercises of the nursing homes. The research tools used in this study included a demographic questionnaire, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and the Falling Efficacy Scale (FES). Results The findings of the current study demonstrated that the scores of BBS and TUG test as the indices of balance among elderly people improved significantly in the Xbox group after the intervention (p < 0.001 for both BBS and TUG test). Moreover, the score of fear of falling diminished significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusion According to the results of the present investigation, 6 weeks of VR balance exercises could enhance balance and fear of falling among elderly people living in nursing homes. Trial registration Code:IRCT20190727044347N1, Date: 17-8-2019.

Effectiveness and Acceptability of e- and m-Health Interventions to Promote Physical Activity and Prevent Falls in Nursing Homes—A Systematic Review

“…Here, the results of the studies were heterogeneous. Neither Janssen et al (2013) nor Wu et al (2019) found a significant improvement compared to the usual care control group, whereas Cicek et al (2020) and Zahedian-Nasab et al (2021) did. In comparison to conventional exercise, no differences were observed ( Yesilyaprak et al, 2016 ; Cicek et al, 2020 ).…”

“…From the additional search, another 75 articles were included in the full-text screening, of which 8 met the inclusion criteria. Thus, a total of 28 articles were included in this systematic review ( Chan et al, 2001 ; Brandt and Paniagua, 2011 ; Keogh et al, 2012 ; Pichierri et al, 2012 ; Ulbrecht et al, 2012 ; Janssen et al, 2013 ; Keogh et al, 2014 ; Fu et al, 2015 ; Grigorova-Petrova et al, 2015 ; Rogan et al, 2016 ; Yesilyaprak et al, 2016 ; Delbroek et al, 2017 ; Monteiro-Junior et al, 2017 ; Hutchinson et al, 2018 ; Kamińska et al, 2018 ; Sun et al, 2018 ; Taylor et al, 2018 ; Wu et al, 2019 ; de Bruin et al, 2020 ; Cicek et al, 2020 ; Fakhro et al, 2020 ; Rica et al, 2020 ; Babadi and Daneshmandi, 2021 ; Huang et al, 2021 ; Loggia et al, 2021 ; Marinus et al, 2021 ; Ramnath et al, 2021 ; Zahedian-Nasab et al, 2021 ). The PRISMA flow diagram of the study selection process is shown in Figure 1 .…”

“…All the tests below were described to be able to identify individuals who are prone to falls or to predict the probability of falls in various populations ( Shumway-Cook et al, 2000 ; Hall et al, 2004 ; An et al, 2017 ; Cleary and Skornyakov, 2017 ; Raîche et al, 2000 ; Jeon and Kim, 2017 ; Lauretani et al, 2019 ; Rose et al, 2002 ). Nine studies ( Grigorova-Petrova et al, 2015 ; Yesilyaprak et al, 2016 ; Sun et al, 2018 ; Wu et al, 2019 ; Cicek et al, 2020 ; Fakhro et al, 2020 ; Babadi and Daneshmandi, 2021 ; Ramnath et al, 2021 ; Zahedian-Nasab et al, 2021 ) assessed fall risk using the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG, Mathias et al, 1986 ), two ( Monteiro-Junior et al, 2017 ; Rica et al, 2020 ) a slightly modified version of the TUG, the 8-Foot Up and Go test (8UG, Rikli and Jones, 1999 ), and one ( Delbroek et al, 2017 ) the instrumented TUG (iTUG, Salarian et al, 2010 ), which uses portable inertial sensors for a more detailed analysis. All studies reporting TUG scores found significant improvements for the exergaming intervention groups.…”

“…Six studies ( Janssen et al, 2013 ; Grigorova-Petrova et al, 2015 ; Yesilyaprak et al, 2016 ; Wu et al, 2019 ; Cicek et al, 2020 ; Zahedian-Nasab et al, 2021 ) assessed fall risk with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS, Berg, 1989 ). Here, the results of the studies were heterogeneous.…”

“…In comparison to conventional exercise, no differences were observed ( Yesilyaprak et al, 2016 ; Cicek et al, 2020 ). Additionally, three studies reported significant improvements when comparing pre-to post-measurements ( Grigorova-Petrova et al, 2015 ; Yesilyaprak et al, 2016 ; Zahedian-Nasab et al, 2021 ).…”