Investigating the Use of Virtual Reality Headsets for Postural Control Assessment: Instrument Validation Study.
Brian Sylcott, Chia-Cheng Lin, Keith Williams and 1 others
PMID 34779789WHAT IT FOUND
A consumer VR headset tracked quiet-standing sway similarly to a force plate for some movement measures, but not for path length.
In 20 healthy adults, eyes closed and front-back sway matched best; side-to-side and eyes open were less consistent.
Key findings
01The VR headset’s position outputs showed sway patterns similar to the force plate’s center-of-pressure outputs during quiet standing.
02Test-retest reliability for the headset was as good as the force plate for root mean square and peak-to-peak sway measures, but slightly worse for normalized path length.
03The headset tracked force-plate sway for root mean square and peak-to-peak measures, especially anterior-posterior and eyes-closed measures, but not strongly for medial-lateral or eyes-open measures.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 20 healthy adults were tested, so the results may not apply to people with balance disorders or neurological conditions. The study was a laboratory validation, not a test of diagnosis or treatment response. Some sway measures had weak repeatability or weak association with force-plate values. The authors noted that sample size, calibration, and data collection procedures could affect the results. The headset sampled position at 10 Hz, while the force plate sampled center of pressure at 200 Hz.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a VR headset can replace a force plate for clinical balance assessment. The headset matched the force plate for some sway measures but not for path length, and the authors said a standard method is still needed.