SynthesisSensors (Basel, Switzerland)2025
The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Improving Balance and Gait in People with Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 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
6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Improving Balance and Gait in People with Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of digital technology-based interventions on balance function and non-motor outcomes in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurologyPooled it
- Immersive virtual reality upper-limb exercises in people with Parkinson's disease: an observer-blinded randomised controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Trial
- Walking Speed Explains Apparent Ground Reaction Force Differences in Parkinson's Disease: A Waveform-Level SPM Analysis During Normal and Virtual Reality Walking.Parkinson's disease · 2026Article
- Can neurologic music therapy make the difference when using immersive virtual reality in Parkinson disease motor training? Promising findings from a secondary analysis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of mixed reality-based rehabilitation on motor function in Parkinson's disease. A two-arm randomized trial.Digital healthArticle
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVirtual reality (VR), often used with motion sensors, provides interactive tools for physiotherapy aimed at enhancing motor functions. This systematic review examined the effects of VR-based interventions, alone or combined with conventional physiotherapy (PT), on balance and gait in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).
methodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between January 2019 and April 2025 were included. Interventions lasted between 5 and 12 weeks and were grouped as VR alone or VR combined with PT. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro Scale.
resultsOf the 31 comparisons for balance and gait, 30 were favored by the experimental group, with 12 reaching statistical significance. Secondary outcomes (function, cognition, and quality of life) showed mixed results, with 6 comparisons favoring the experimental group (3 statistically significant) and 4 favoring the control group (1 statistically significant). Overall, the studies showed fair to good quality and a moderate risk of bias.
conclusionsVR-based interventions, particularly when combined with PT, show promise for improving balance and gait in PD. However, the evidence is limited by the small number of studies, heterogeneity of protocols, and methodological constraints. More rigorous, long-term trials are needed to clarify their therapeutic potential.
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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.