ReviewCureus2026
Impact of Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation on Postoperative Outcomes Following Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Hip osteoarthritis is a common cause of pain and disability, and total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an effective treatment for advanced disease. Despite surgical success, many patients experience prolonged postoperative deficits, and conventional rehabilitation does not always restore full function. Virtual reality-based rehabilitation (VR-R) has recently emerged as a potential tool to enhance recovery through increased engagement and non-pharmacological pain modulation. We aim to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of VR-R after THA in improving functional recovery, reducing pain and opioid use, and enhancing overall rehabilitation outcomes. We systematically searched the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase until November 14, 2025. The quality of the included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool. Statistical analysis was performed using the RevMan tool (v. 5; The Cochrane Collaboration, London, UK), with mean difference (MD) or standardized MD (SMD) for continuous data. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I² statistic, and random-effects models were used when I² exceeded 50%. This systematic review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD420251268393). Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 397 patients. VR-R demonstrated a significant reduction in postoperative stress (SMD = -1.18; 95% confidence interval (CI): (-1.69, -0.67); p < 0.00001; I² = 0%). In contrast, no significant differences were observed between VR-R and conventional rehabilitation for pain (SMD = -0.87; p = 0.11), opioid consumption (SMD = -0.42; p = 0.40; I² = 87%), general mobility (SMD = 0.18; p = 0.32), or functional independence as measured by the Barthel index (MD = 8.00; p = 0.37). VR-R significantly reduces postoperative stress following THA but shows no significant benefits for pain, opioid consumption, mobility, or functional independence compared to standard care. Despite substantial heterogeneity across studies, VR-R represents a safe adjunctive tool for addressing psychological aspects of recovery. Standardized protocols and large-scale trials are needed to establish optimal implementation strategies.
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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.