SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2025
The Efficacy of Virtual Reality on the Rehabilitation of Musculoskeletal Diseases: Umbrella Review.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness and Safety of Virtual Reality Interventions for Symptom Management in Adults Undergoing Hemodialysis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Virtual reality in neurorehabilitation for musculoskeletal disorders: a bibliometric analysis from 2010 to 2025.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Pooled it
- National Acceptance and Determinants of Immersive Extended Reality in Health Care in China: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Interpretable Biomechanical Feature Selection for VR Exercise Assessment Using SHAP and LDA.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMusculoskeletal disorders cause pain, disability, and financial burdens, with rising prevalence. Virtual reality (VR) offers immersive, digital rehabilitation potential, improving motor functions and pain management.
objectiveTo evaluate the impact of VR on the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders and to assess the consistency of evidence provided by existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses, this study focuses on musculoskeletal disorders, which encompass conditions affecting the locomotor system, such as arthritis, joint deformities, and injuries. VR therapy leverages immersive digital environments to enhance rehabilitation through digital exercises and simulations.
methodsThe PubMed or MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for relevant papers published up to April 2024. Literature screening, quality assessment, and data extraction were conducted according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the included meta-analyses was evaluated using the Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system was used to classify the evidence level for each outcome as high, moderate, low, or very low. Additionally, the evidence was categorized into 5 levels based on classification criteria: I (convincing), II (highly suggestive), III (suggestive), IV (weak), and nonsignificant.
resultsThis umbrella review synthesized data from 14 meta-analyses published between 2019 and 2024, involving a total of 13,184 patients. In total, 7 meta-analyses received high Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 ratings, 7 were rated moderate, and the remainder were rated low. VR demonstrated promising results in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, significantly reducing knee pain (mean difference [MD] -1.38, 95% CI -2.32 to -0.44; P=.004; I
conclusionsVR demonstrates significant potential in the rehabilitation of various musculoskeletal conditions. It effectively alleviates pain, enhances psychological well-being, and facilitates the recovery of motor function in patients.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42024538469; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024538469.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.