Virtual Reality on Balance in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Resumo

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by a reduction in dopamine production, a neurotransmitter responsible for communication between neurons and coordination of movements. As PD progresses, patients tend to develop postural instability, which affects balance and exacerbates functional limitations. Physiotherapeutic interventions using Virtual Reality (VR) aim to improve and prevent complications associated with PD.

Objective: To review the impact of virtual reality on balance in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Methods: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. A search was conducted in the PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, CENTRAL, and PEDro databases, including only randomized clinical trials published in the last 10 years that investigated the use of virtual reality on balance in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The keywords used were: virtual reality, Parkinson’s disease, virtual reality rehabilitation, balance training, postural control, and postural balance, along with synonyms and related terms combined using the Boolean operators “AND” and “OR.”

Results: Eight studies were included after selection. Overall, all studies analyzed demonstrated benefits of VR on the balance of individuals with PD, although there were variations in the magnitude of effects and in the assessment tools used. Virtual reality proved effective in improving balance in PD patients, showing an average improvement of 2.26 points (95% CI: 0.94 to 3.57).

Conclusion: The results of the randomized clinical trials included in this review indicate that virtual reality is an effective tool to improve balance in patients with Parkinson’s disease.