Virtual Reality Neurorehabilitation for Mobility in Spinal Cord Injury: A Structured Review

The goal of this review was to evaluate the evidence regarding the use of virtual reality (VR) therapy for improvement of mobility in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). A comprehensive literature search was conducted utilizing PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases in April 2018. The phrase "virtual reality" and a combination of "spinal cord injury," "tetraplegia," "quadriplegia," or "paraplegia" were used as search terms. References included selected articles were reviewed as well. Articles were filtered based on the following inclusion criteria: 1) written in English, 2) peer-reviewed, 3) VR used for patients with SCI, and 4) changes in motor function evaluated. Common outcomes of mobility assessment used in the studies included the Functional Reach Test (FRT), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Limit of Stability (LOS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury II (WISCI II) scale. Seven of the nine reviewed articles were case series, while two were randomized, controlled trials. Reviewed literature demonstrated significant benefit in FRT, BBS, gait speed, muscle strength, SCIM, and WISCI-II using VR therapy. Voluntary muscle control improvement was also observed. However, no significant differences were found with regard to finehand motor movement. This literature review demonstrated mostly positive outcomes for the use of VR for SCI rehabilitation but were limited in quality and scope. Larger, multicenter trials are still needed.