Elements virtual rehabilitation improves motor, cognitive, and functional outcomes in adult stroke: evidence from a randomized controlled pilot study.
Jeffrey M Rogers, Jonathan Duckworth, Sandy Middleton and 2 others
PMID 31092252WHAT IT FOUND
In 21 sub-acute stroke inpatients, adding Elements tabletop VR to usual occupational and physiotherapy produced larger gains on the Box and Blocks test, cognition screening, and self-rated daily function than usual therapy alone.
Gains remained at one month. Small unblinded pilot.
Key findings
01Adding Elements VR to usual occupational and physiotherapy improved upper-limb motor performance and cognitive test scores more than usual occupational and physiotherapy alone.
02The VR group’s motor, cognitive, and functional gains were still greater than controls at one-month follow-up.
03Self-rated everyday motor, cognition, and communication function improved more in the VR group than in the control group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 21 participants, so it is a pilot and needs replication in a larger sample. Patients and assessors were not blinded, so expectations could influence results. The VR group received about 7 hours of additional activity over the study, which was not balanced against usual therapy time. Functional outcomes were patient self-report and could be affected by recall, expectancy, or reduced self-awareness after stroke. Most participants had mild ischemic stroke, so results may not apply to hemorrhagic stroke or more severe deficits. Follow-up was only one month, and stroke recovery can change over longer periods. The Elements setup required substantial resources, which may limit routine adoption. The protocol was not registered.
Declared interests
The supplied article text does not report a specific funder or author declarations. The publication types list non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Elements VR alone caused the improvements. All patients received usual occupational and physiotherapy, and the VR group also received additional activity time. The study was a small unblinded pilot, and functional outcomes were self-report.