Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34696764›Full record

Trial reportBMC musculoskeletal disorders2021

The effects of virtual reality training on clinical indices and brain mapping of women with patellofemoral pain: a randomized clinical trial.

Naghmeh Ebrahimi, Zahra Rojhani-Shirazi, Amin Kordi Yoosefinejad, Mohammad Nami

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.

Naghmeh EbrahimiStudent Research Committee, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Chamran Blvd., Abiverdi 1Street, P.O. Box: 71345-1733, Shiraz, Iran.
Zahra Rojhani-ShiraziDepartment of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Chamran Blvd., Abiverdi 1Street, P.O. Box: 71345-1733, Shiraz, Iran.
Amin Kordi YoosefinejadDepartment of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Chamran Blvd., Abiverdi 1Street, P.O. Box: 71345-1733, Shiraz, Iran. yoosefinejad@sums.ac.ir.
Mohammad NamiNeuroscience Center, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), City of Knowledge, Panama City, 084301103, Panama.
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences · IRInstituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología · PA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVirtual reality training (VRT) is a new method for the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal impairments. However, the clinical and central effects of VRT have not been investigated in patients with patellofemoral pain (PFP). To comprehensively assess the effects of VRT on clinical indices and brain function, we used a randomized clinical trial based on clinical and brain mapping assessment.

methodsTwenty-six women with PFP for more than 6 months were randomly allocated to 2 groups: intervention and control. The intervention consisted of lifestyle education + 8 weeks VRT, in 24 sessions each lasting 40 min of training, whereas the control group just received lifestyle education. The balance was the primary outcome and was measured by the modified star excursion balance test. Secondary outcomes included pain, function, quality of life, and brain function which were assessed by visual analogue scale, step down test and Kujala questionnaire, SF-36, and EEG, respectively. Pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (1 month after the end of the intervention) measurements were taken for all outcome measures except EEG, which was evaluated only at pre-intervention and post-intervention). Analyses of variance was used to compare the clinical outcomes between the two groups. The independent t-test also was used for between group EEG analyses.

resultsBalance score (P < 0.001), function (P < 0.001), and quality of life (P = 0.001) improved significantly at post-intervention and 1 month follow-up in the VRT group compared with the control group. VRT group showed a significantly decreased pain score (P = 0.004). Alpha (P < 0.05) and theta (P = 0.01) power activity also increased in the brain of the VRT group.

conclusionThis study demonstrated that long term VRT was capable of improving both clinical impairments and brain function in patients with PFP. Therefore, therapists and clinicians can use this method as a more holistic approach in the rehabilitation of PFP.

trial registrationIRCT, IRCT20090831002391N40 . Registered 23 / 10 / 2019.

Indexed as

Patellofemoral Pain SyndromeVirtual RealityBrain MappingExercise TherapyFemaleHumansPainQuality of LifeBalanceEEGPatellofemoral painVirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID34696764
PMCPMC8544183
OpenAlexW3209586689

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.