Thus, the aim of this review was to systematically analyse the effectiveness of virtual reality assisted rehabilitation on pain, functional outcomes and kinesiophobia in individuals with knee osteoarthritis.
The review protocol was pre-registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024557813). This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for systematic reviews of effectiveness evidence. The literature search was conducted in six databases; PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, ProQuest and the Cochrane Library. Peer-reviewed and English articles involving adults aged 45-75 years with knee osteoarthritis were included for the study. Descriptive data was extracted on to a data extraction form for narrative synthesis. The methodological rigor was assessed using PEDro scale.
Six studies on effectiveness of VR in knee OA were included in this review. All the studies demonstrated a high risk of bias. VR apps using a head-mounted display led to improvements in a number of health outcomes, including pain management, function and kinesiophobia. VR assisted exergames also led to significant improvements with respect to pain intensity, joint proprioception, postural stability, balance and functional status. While only 2 studies assessed for kinesiophobia, most of the studies focussed on outcomes like pain, muscle strength, balance. Metanalysis could not be carried out due to lack of homogeneity in the outcome measures.
Virtual reality has shown promising results in improving pain, range of motion, balance and proprioception in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. However, its effect on kinesiophobia has not been well explored. Kinesiophobia being an essential determinant of functional performance, studies should explore use of VR on fear of movement.
Studies demonstrate a significant improvement in pain, function and kinesiophobia with VR as compared conventional physiotherapy. Engaging in the exergaming system could motivate patients to actively participate in their rehabilitation making it more beneficial. However, the long-term benefits are not reported in these studies. It is also essential to consider the cost and availability of VR when used in low resource clinical practices.
virtual reality
exergames
