Application of a virtual reality tracker-based system to measure seated postural stability in stroke patients.
Huey-Wen Liang, Tzu-Ling Tai, Yue-Hua Li and 1 others
PMID 35831835WHAT IT FOUND
A virtual reality tracker gave fair to excellent repeat results for most seated sway measures, but quiet sitting was unreliable.
It separated stroke patients from controls mainly on unstable surfaces and tracked clinical balance through trunk speed.
Key findings
01Most seated sway measures were fair to excellent on repeat testing, but side-to-side distance and speed in the easiest firm-surface eyes-open condition were poor.
02Stroke patients and controls differed most clearly on unstable surfaces, while sway area and front-back displacement separated groups in all four sitting conditions.
03Trunk speed related to clinical balance scores, while sway area and distance did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small: 21 stroke patients, 21 controls, and 22 participants for retesting. Controls were healthy adults from the institute and were not age or gender matched, so differences could reflect age as well as stroke. Stroke patients had to sit unsupported for at least 10 minutes, and many had good sitting balance, so results do not apply to patients with worse balance. Some repeat-test results were poor in the easiest condition, and one patient could not complete the soft-surface quiet sitting test. The study did not test whether the tracker measures predict recovery or change with treatment.
Declared interests
Funded by National Taiwan University Hospital. No other author conflicts or disclosures are stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this tracker system is a validated clinical outcome measure for stroke rehabilitation. It was a small cross-sectional validation in mostly high-functioning patients, some quiet sitting measures were unreliable, and the study did not test whether the measurements change treatment or outcomes.