Feasibility and Usability of an Omnidirectional Treadmill-Based Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Game: A Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study.

Only 12 participants took part, and the study was not powered to test whether the game works. The survivors were younger than the average age at stroke and were highly functional, so results may not apply to older or more disabled patients. No data were collected on time since stroke or lesion location. The study had no control group or random allocation, so it cannot show that the game causes improvement. The usability score and technical issues did not meet the study's success criteria. Walking tests had missing data, partly because of Vive tracker problems. The system combines an omnidirectional treadmill, head-mounted VR, trackers, overshoes, and a safety harness, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. User experiences cannot be compared separately for clinicians and stroke survivors because the sample size was based on all 12 participants.

The study was funded by the Canada Brain Research Fund. The funder played no role in the design, conduct, and reporting of the study.

Do not read this as evidence that the VR treadmill game improves walking or balance after stroke. It tested feasibility and usability in 12 participants, and the usability score missed the study's success criterion. The shorter step length on the treadmill is a comparison between walking conditions, not a recovery effect.