Impact of using immersive virtual reality over time and steps in the Timed Up and Go test in elderly people

Background/Aims: Falling among the elderly is a major public health issue, especially with the advancing age of the baby boomers. The fall risk assessment tests for many lack a context that would bring them closer to everyday life. Thus, immersive virtual reality, which makes it possible to simulate everyday situations, could make it possible to strengthen the quality of the assessment of the risk of falls. However, it is necessary to understand how the use of a virtual reality device influences the motor control of elderly participants. If vestibular physiotherapists use VR to virtualize their tools, what impact would a visual simulation of movement have on motor control in a locomotor task, if this simulation were plausible? Methods: Sixty-two elders (70.8 ± 6.7 years old) completed a Timed Up and Go task under 3 conditions: real, virtual reality, and virtual reality with visual and sound movement information. The virtual reality task takes place in a train either stationary at a station or in uniform linear motion. The time and number of steps were recorded using video, and comparisons between conditions were made using Friedman’s test. Results: The results show a significant increase in the time and number of steps in “virtual reality” condition compared to the “real” condition. They do not show significant differences between the 2 virtual conditions. Conclusion: The use of a running virtual train to provide plausible movement is particularly distinguished from vestibular physiotherapy applications with first a fixed visual support partially obscuring the optical flow. This visual aid coupled with the attention dedicated to the task inhibits the effect of the moving environment on locomotion. However, the visual optical flow will potentially have an effect in people with fear of falling. Virtual reality shows great potential for the simulation of realistic environments for the assessment of the risk of falls and opens up avenues for the development of tests.

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Effect of virtual reality exercises on balance and fall in elderly people with fall risk: a randomized controlled trial

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-021-02462-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Noorolla Zahedian-Nasab ◽

Azita Jaberi ◽

Fatemeh Shirazi ◽

Somayyeh Kavousipor

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Nursing Homes ◽

Elderly People ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Timed Up And Go ◽

Xbox Kinect ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Deficient balance and fear of falling in elderly people can lead to disturbed daily activities, falling, and finally reduced quality of life. Therefore, evaluation of low-risk methods that might partially improve balance in this group of people is of utmost importance. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) exercises based on Xbox Kinect on balance and fear of falling among elderly people. Methods This clinical trial was performed on 60 elderly individuals living in nursing homes divided into two groups of control and Xbox. The participants in the intervention group received VR exercises based on Xbox Kinect in form of two 30–45-min sessions held on a weekly basis for 6 weeks. The individuals in the control group, on the other hand, received routine exercises of the nursing homes. The research tools used in this study included a demographic questionnaire, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and the Falling Efficacy Scale (FES). Results The findings of the current study demonstrated that the scores of BBS and TUG test as the indices of balance among elderly people improved significantly in the Xbox group after the intervention (p < 0.001 for both BBS and TUG test). Moreover, the score of fear of falling diminished significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusion According to the results of the present investigation, 6 weeks of VR balance exercises could enhance balance and fear of falling among elderly people living in nursing homes. Trial registration Code:IRCT20190727044347N1, Date: 17-8-2019.

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