Locomotor skill acquisition in virtual reality shows sustained transfer to the real world.
Aram Kim, Nicolas Schweighofer, James M Finley
PMID 31521167WHAT IT FOUND
VR treadmill practice reduced foot clearance over obstacles by 69% in 19 healthy young adults on day one.
That reduction transferred to over-ground walking and remained after 24 hours.
Key findings
01In 19 healthy young adults, VR treadmill practice to minimize foot clearance over obstacles reduced clearance by 69% during day-one acquisition.
02The VR-trained reduction transferred to over-ground walking on day one, with foot clearance 0.03 m lower than baseline and 32% relative transfer.
03At the day-two test, over-ground foot clearance did not significantly change from day-one transfer, while VR foot clearance increased by 0.008 m.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The participants were 19 healthy young adults, so the findings do not show what would happen in patient populations. The training was on a treadmill with a handrail and a constrained virtual view of the legs, not ordinary over-ground walking. Retention was tested only after 24 hours, so longer-term transfer was not examined. The study did not include a comparison group. Foot clearance in VR started and ended higher than in a prior physical training study, and the authors suggest this may be because obstacle height was overestimated in VR.
Declared interests
The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Link Foundation. The supplied text does not include author conflict-of-interest disclosures.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that VR obstacle training improves walking or prevents falls in patients. The study used 19 healthy young adults, a treadmill with a handrail, and a foot-clearance task, and it did not measure patient outcomes.