Virtual-Reality Rehabilitation No Better Than Conventional Training Added to Standard Rehab After Stroke

Virtual reality (VR) training for rehabilitation can incorporate principles of activity-based training such as high intensity, frequent repetition, personalization of training difficulty and content, and feedback and gamification mechanisms to enhance motivation. The 2016 EVREST trial failed to establish the benefits of adjunctive nonimmersive VR therapy for upper-limb motor recovery after stroke over simple recreational activities (NEJM JW Neurol Sep 2016 and Lancet Neurol 2016; 15:1019). However, more-effective approaches to post-stroke motor recovery are needed, and VR-based methods continue to be refined.

Now, researchers report results of a randomized, controlled, single-blind trial that enrolled 120 consecutive participants with mild-t…