Effects of virtual reality plus conventional rehabilitation therapy versus conventional rehabilitation alone on the wrist and elbow spasticity and motor function beside active range of motion in shoulder abduction, wrist extension, and elbow extension in patients with stroke

Determination of the effects of virtual reality plus conventional rehabilitation therapy versus conventional rehabilitation alone on the wrist and elbow spasticity and motor function beside active range of motion in shoulder abduction, wrist extension, and elbow extension in patients with stroke

The 30 subjects will be randomly assigned by block randomization (5 cases in each block) into two groups of 15 cases including conventional 45-minute conventional therapy session and conventional plus VR therapy, with a single blinding.

The data is calculated by single blinded assessor, and the trial is performed in Tabassom Physiotherapy Clinic. The 30 patients who meet the inclusion criteria are divided into two groups. In conventional group, traditional physiotherapy methods are used. In VR group, non-immersive type of VR is used, in which patients sit in front a monitor to move their upper extremity in various directions according to instructions of their specific video games.

Inclusion criteria: patients with ischemic stroke in past three to 12 months with age range from 30 to 80 years, admitted in a referral training tertiary healthcare center in 2020. Exclusion criteria: severe neuropsychological impairments interfering with recovery, and impossibility to follow-up the patients.

The intervention group consists of those patients who undergo VR gaming along with the conventional rehabilitation. The control group consists of those patients who only undergo the conventional rehabilitation.

At baseline and after six weeks: the wrist and elbow spasticity by Modified Ashworth upper extremity score; motor function by Fugle-Meyer upper extremity score; active range of motion of shoulder abduction, wrist extension, and elbow extension with goniometry.

(number in each block 5 cases with 1:1 ratio for randomization. Patients are numbered according to the time of their registration (the first registered patient: number 1, the second registered patient: number 2, ...). The first five patients will be allocated in one group and the second five patients will be allocated in the other group and this order will be carried out alternatively till the sample size is completed and 15 patients are present each group it is shown in this order; patients 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in conventional plus VR therapy group, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in conventional therapy alone group, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 in conventional plus VR therapy group, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 conventional therapy alone group, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 conventional plus VR therapy group, and 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 in conventional therapy alone group). Overall, there will be six blocks, each with 5 members, with three groups categorized into each method of treatment.

In the single blinding, the assessor is not aware of in which group each patient is.

different physical assessments of patients as; spasticity, motor function, range of motion. demographic data as; age, sex, involved hemisphere, time after stroke.

the data will be available since December, 2020, and it will be so for 6 months after the publication

people working in academic institutions or physical therapy clinics, neurologists, physicians, and software and IT engineers.

Any analysis on the date is permitted. Those people who work/study in relevant subjects are eligible for request.

through email, telephone calls, and posting letters.

After making a connection through one of the eligible ways, and after providing personal information and the purpose of pursuing this data, after almost 1 week, all answers could be checked and data could be available to the requester.

According to the significant raise in the number of strokes happening across the globe (one stroke per 2-seconds worldwide, and 100 thousand cases of stroke in Iran annually) , and that stroke is the leading cause of disability , this trial could be quite helpful for an unbelievably great number of people across the globe who suffer from disabilities caused by strokes, and it could help them to come back into their normal lives sooner and better than before.