The role of rehabilitation with virtual reality in functional ability and quality of life of individuals with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of dopaminergic neurons that can cause some mobility limitations, which in turn, can negatively impact quality of life (QOL) of individuals with PD. Virtual reality (VR) has been used to treat these patients. Objective: Evaluate the functional capacity and QOL of individuals with PD using VR with X-Box Kinect®. Methods: 20 individuals classified as stages 1-3, aged 50-80 years were selected. They were randomly divided into two groups (control and experimental) with ten patients in each. The control group (CG) was treated with conventional therapy for five weeks, with two 60-minute sessions per week, whereas the experimental group (EG) had they sessions split in half: conventional physical therapy and virtual rehabilitation (VR). Subjects were evaluated before and after the treatment with the following scales: Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-(UPDRS) and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Result: We found a reduction in scores for all domains of UPDRS and PDQ-39 in both groups, but only in the EG this finding was significant. Conclusion: VR combined with physiotherapy is an efficient method, what may influence the clinical aspect and improve QOL of individuals with PD.