Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation versus Conventional Physical Therapy on Quality-of-Life function and Balance in Parkinson's Disease Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms, affecting the quality of life, functional independence, and balance of individuals. While conventional physical therapy (PT) has been a standard approach, emerging technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) have shown promise in neurorehabilitation. Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) Rehabilitation with Conventional Physical Therapy (PT) in enhancing the quality of life, functional status, and balance among individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted, involving 46 PD patients the participants were randomly assigned to either the VR group (n=23) or the PT group (n=23). Data was collected from johar poly clinic Lahore Pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments included the Short Form 36 (SF-36) for quality of life, Barthel Index for functional status, and Berg Balance Scale for balance. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were employed for data analysis. Results: Pre-intervention demographics indicated comparable age distributions (VR group: 65.0 ± 5.2; PT group: 67.1 ± 4.8) and a predominance of males in both groups. Baseline scores demonstrated no significant differences between VR and PT groups for SF-36 (41.40 ± 4.87 vs. 38.20 ± 4.21), Barthel Index (90.00 ± 7.14 vs. 86.00 ± 6.93), and Berg Balance Scale (44.00 ± 6.52 vs. 40.00 ± 7.11). Conclusion: The study results indicated that rehabilitation programs for individuals with Parkinson's disease were efficacious in enhancing their functional outcome. An evaluation of the two programs, both centered around physical exercises, demonstrated that virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation surpasses traditional therapy in assessing overall improvements (such as upper limb function, gait, balance, and the psychological aspect of quality of life) in a secure and stimulating setting.