Virtual Reality Device Helps Multiple Sclerosis Patients to Walk More Quickly
Published: Jun 24, 2007
Israeli researchers claim that virtual reality visual feedback cues can help multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to walk more quickly and lengthen their stride.
A virtual reality system that incorporates the user’s movements into a visual display that provides feedback has been shown to improve gait in patients with Parkinson’s. Drs. Yoram Baram and Ariel Miller of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa reported that efforts to improve gait in MS patients have been directed toward improved muscle strength and reduced spasticity, while there has been little research on gait rehabilitation in patients with cerebellar ataxia.
The researchers found out that patients showed good improvement in their walking speeds when they used the device. A good degree of improvement was also seen in stride length of the patients.
Tests of the device in healthy control subjects did not show any improvement in walking speed or stride length, in fact the device reduced speed and stride length. “This makes the results for the patients even more noteworthy, since improved apparatus and prolonged training are expected to reduce the burdening effect, hence, further improve performance,” the researchers said.
They concluded the use of virtual reality-based approaches has helped in the rehabilitation and treatment of patients with MS, as well as other types of neurological disorders.
Source:Â Reuters Health
