BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of virtual reality (VR) technology on balance and gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study design was a single-blinded, randomized, controlled study. Twenty-eight patients with PD were randomly divided into the experimental group (n=14) and the control group (n=14). The experimental group received VR training, and the control group received conventional physical therapy. Patients performed 45 minutes per session, 5 days a week, for 12 weeks. Individuals were assessed pre- and post-rehabilitation with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), Third Part of Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS3), and Functional Gait Assessment (FGA).

RESULTS: After treatment, BBS, TUGT, and FGA scores had improved significantly in both groups (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the UPDRS3 between the pre- and post-rehabilitation data of the control group (P>0.05). VR training resulted in significantly better performance compared with the conventional physical therapy group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that 12 weeks of VR rehabilitation resulted in a greater improvement in the balance and gait of individuals with PD when compared to conventional physical therapy.

Keywords: Gait, Parkinsonian Disorders, Physical Therapy Modalities, postural balance, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy, Exercise Therapy, Levodopa, Reproducibility of Results, stroke rehabilitation, Time and Motion Studies, virtual reality, Walking