The effects of augmented and virtual reality gait training on balance and gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Objective Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) facilitate motor learning by enabling the practice of task-specific activities in a rich environment. Therefore, AR and VR gait training may improve balance and gait in Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Methods Thirty patients with PD were randomly divided into study ( n = 15) and control ( n = 15) groups. The study group was given AR and VR gait training combined with conventional training. The control group was given conventional training only. The training was applied to both groups 3 days a week for 6 weeks. Motor symptoms with the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale-Motor Examination (UPDRS-III), balance with posturography and Berg Balance Scale (BBS), perceived balance confidence with Activity-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), gait with spatio-temporal gait analysis, and functional mobility with Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) were assessed. Results At the end of the study; UPDRS-III, posturography measurements, BBS, ABC, spatio-temporal gait parameters, and TUG improved in the study group ( p 0.05), while the improvement in the other parameters was found higher in the study group ( p