Rehabilitation of Upper Extremity by Telerehabilitation Combined With Exergames in Survivors of Chronic Stroke: Preliminary Findings From a Feasibility Clinical Trial.
Dorra Rakia Allegue, Johanne Higgins, Shane N Sweet and 5 others
PMID 35731560WHAT IT FOUND
Home-based VR games with clinician video supervision were feasible for 9 chronic stroke survivors.
Two of four in the VR group improved motor function enough to be clinically meaningful, matching the conventional hand exercise group. Use requires basic computer skills or caregiver support.
Key findings
01The VR intervention was feasible for most participants, with 85% completing the program and two of four showing clinically important improvement in upper extremity motor function.
02Participants using the VR system required basic computer literacy or a caregiver to manage technical issues, as one participant dropped out due to inability to use the mouse or keyboard.
03The conventional hand exercise group showed more consistent improvements in quality of life and hand function scores than the VR group, which had mixed results.
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 size was extremely small (9 analyzed), making the findings preliminary and not generalizable. Intervention duration varied between participants (8 weeks vs 3 months) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, confounding dose-response comparisons. Evaluators and data analysts were not blinded to group assignment, increasing the risk of bias. The VR system excluded hand and finger movements, limiting the scope of upper extremity rehabilitation compared to conventional methods. The study was a feasibility trial, not designed to test efficacy, so statistical comparisons between groups were not performed.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the 50% improvement rate in the VR group as evidence of superiority or even equivalence to conventional therapy. The study was a small feasibility trial with unblinded assessors and mixed results, where the control group actually showed more consistent gains in quality of life and hand function.