Effects of Full Body Exergaming in Virtual Reality on Cardiovascular and Muscular Parameters: Cross-Sectional Experiment

Abstract

Background In recent years, many studies have associated sedentary behavior in front of screens with health problems in infants, children, and adolescents. Yet options for exergaming—playing video games that require rigorous physical exercise—seem to fall short of the physical activity levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a fully immersive virtual reality (VR)-based training system on cardiovascular and muscular parameters of young adults. Methods A cross-sectional experiment design was used to analyze muscle activity (surface electromyography), heart rate, perceived exertion (RPE), cybersickness symptoms, perceived workload, and physical activity enjoyment (PACES) in 33 participants performing two 5-minute flights on a new training device. Results Participants’ performance of the planking position required to play the game resulted in moderate aerobic intensity (108 [SD 18.69] bpm). Due to the mainly isometric contraction of the dorsal muscle chain (with a mean activation between 20.6% [SD 10.57] and 26.7% [SD 17.39] maximum voluntary isometric contraction), participants described the exercise as a moderate to vigorous activity (RPE 14.6 [SD 1.82]). The majority reported that they enjoyed the exercise (PACES 3.74 [SD 0.16]). However, six participants had to drop out because of cybersickness symptoms and two because of muscle pain due to prior injuries. Conclusions Our findings suggest that fully immersive VR training systems can contribute to muscle-strengthening activities for healthy users. However, the dropout rate highlights the need for technological improvements in both software and hardware. In prevention and therapy, movement quality is a fundamental part of providing effective resistance training that benefits health. Exergaming on a regular basis has the potential to develop strong muscles and a healthy back. It is essential that future VR-based training systems take into account the recommendations of sport and exercise science.

Virtual reality and functional recovery

“…VR systems can offer to people a refreshing and enjoyable form of physical activity. In prevention and therapy, the quality of movement is a fundamental component of an effective resistance training for the benefit of health (Feodoroff, 2019). Virtual reality (VR) can simulate visuospatial environments where patients could practice in total safety and with results similar to classic treatments (Aria, 2012).…”

“…We should increase the currently small number of reference publications in the motor field of VR technology, taking advantage of the critical issues that have emerged from previous studies. For example, trying to involve as many subjects as possible (Weber, 2019) for the study sample and for the control group that in some cases was absent (Vourvopoulos, 2019), taking advantage of the high involvement of the participants through immersive motor play activities (Feodoroff, 2019). In addition, it has been found that increasing the duration of sessions could lead to greater benefits.…”

“…Added stress on both visual and vestibular system its more immersive but it can also cause proprioceptive signals that are less recepted by the user. In the future all body concept and completely immersive activities should focus on raise dynamic muscle activation, considering user's sensibility to cybersickness (Feodoroff, 2019) and motion sickness. In addition, all studies agree that there is a lack of work reference, and a lot of pilot studies were conducted on few subjects or without a control group; they also did not take into account self-learning and ecologically valid scenarios, through VR feedback (Vourvopoulos, 2019).…”

Immersive virtual reality is effective in improving the physical condition and quality of life of sedentary university students: A randomized clinical trial

“…Thus, given the potential of IVR games to improve physical conditioning and strength, and the fact that they are programmed and designed to take into account the scientific recommendations that govern physical training [8] , the aim of this study was to analyze the effect of IVR training compared to conventional training on conditioning and quality of life of sedentary university students in both the short and long term.…”

Virtual Reality Games and the Role of Body Involvement in Enhancing Positive Emotions and Decreasing Anxiety: Within-Subjects Pilot Study

“…Interestingly, scientific studies have recently started to recognize the potential positive impact of virtual reality video games on people's health (eg, [16,17]) and cognitive abilities (eg, [18,19]). For example, a previous study [18] has reported the efficacy of a virtual reality exercise-based dance game, DANCE, that was created ad hoc by researchers for the training of executive functions in older people.…”