Utilization of Virtual Reality for Upper Limb Motoric Rehabilitation of Post-Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Stroke is a neurological disorder which is classified as ischemic or hemorrhagic. The increasing incidence of stroke worldwide has increased the need for rehabilitation. Virtual Reality (VR) is a new technology that is still being developed for the rehabilitation of post-stroke patients. Several studies have shown that VR has good benefits to help the rehabilitation of post-stroke patients, especially in terms of patient motor skills. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by searching the PubMed and Science Direct databases with all articles using English, randomized controlled trials and articles published in 2020-2024. The keywords used were "Virtual Reality", "VR", "Neurorehabilitation", "Rehabilitation", "Motor Function", "Stroke", "Recovery". Results: A total of 870 studies were initially identified, 10 of those studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Total of 348 participants (178 VR groups and 170 control groups) were included in this systematic review and the results showed from most of the studies show a significant increase in the VR group in patient motor skills based on FMA-UE, ARAT, AROM, Grip Strength Test, DASH, JTT, WMFT and 9HPT assessments. Conclusion: This systematic review shows that the use of VR for motor rehabilitation of post-stroke patients has better outcomes compared to patients who only receive conventional therapy. Keywords: Stroke, Virtual Reality, Motoric Function, Upper Limb, Rehabilitation