Trial reportAging clinical and experimental research2023
Effect of virtual running with exercise on functionality in pre-frail and frail elderly people: randomized clinical trial.
Trial report in Aging clinical and experimental research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of Digital Health Interventions in Older Adults With Frailty and Sarcopenia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- The application potential of virtual reality technology in managing elderly frailty: a meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Virtual Walking on Neuropathic Pain in People With Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review.Topics in spinal cord injury rehabilitation · 2025Pooled it
- Non invasive techniques for direct muscle quality assessment after exercise intervention in older adults: a systematic review.BMC geriatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of virtual-walking intervention combined with exercise on improving pain and function in incomplete spinal cord injury: a feasibility study.Spinal cord series and cases · 2024Trial
- The effect of digital health interventions in older adults with frailty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2026Review
- Implementation of an Intervention Program Based on Virtual Walking and Therapeutic Exercise in Cuba: A Feasibility Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Non-invasive brain stimulation on functional capacity in prefrail older adults: a protocol for a randomised clinical trial.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Article
- On the Merits of Targeted and Individualized Physical Exercise in Persons with Diabetic Foot Disease-From Controversies to Consensus.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- The Usability and Effect of a Novel Intelligent Rehabilitation Exergame System on Quality of Life in Frail Older Adults: Prospective Cohort Study.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
- Predictive modeling of frailty status in elderly abdominal surgery patients by preoperative quadriceps ultrasound testing.American journal of translational research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundVirtual mirror therapies could increase the results of exercise, since the mirror neuron system produces an activation of motor execution cortical areas by observing actions performed by others. In this way, pre-frail and frail people could use this system to reach an exercise capacity threshold and obtain health benefits.
aimThe aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a virtual running (VR) treatment combined with specific physical gait exercise (PE) compared to placebo VR treatment combined with PE on functionality, pain, and muscular tone in pre-frail and frail older persons.
methodsA single blinded, two-arm, randomised controlled trial design was employed. Thirty-eight participants were divided into two intervention arms: Experimental Intervention (EI) group, in which VR and gait-specific physical exercises were administered and Control Intervention (CI) group, in which a placebo virtual gait and the same exercise programme was administered. Functionality, pain, and tone were assessed.
resultsEI group improved in aerobic capacity, functional lower-limb strength, reaction time, and pain, while CI group remained the same. Regarding static balance and muscle tone, no differences were found for either group. Further analysis is needed to asses VR effectiveness for improving gait, stand-up and sit-down performance and velocity.
conclusionsVirtual running therapy appears to enhance capacities related with voluntary movements (i.e., aerobic capacity, functional lower-limb strength, and reaction time) and reduce pain.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.