TY  - JOUR
TI  - Effectiveness of immersive virtual reality as an adjunct to conventional therapy in stroke rehabilitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
AU  - Sun, Jiayi
AU  - Tan, Huai Zhen
AU  - Selvarajan, Ganeash
AU  - Wang, Jia Dong James
PY  - 2026
JO  - Exploration of Neuroscience
VL  - 5
SP  - 1006154
DO  - 10.37349/en.2026.1006154
UR  - https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/en/Article/1006154
AB  - Background: Stroke is a neurovascular condition that has been globally rising in prevalence due to ageing populations and an increasing burden of cardiovascular risk factors. To help patients recover their motor and neurological abilities post-stroke, physiotherapy and occupational therapy have been traditionally employed. In recent years, immersive virtual reality (IVR) has emerged as a promising tool that offers visuospatial stimuli that emulate real world environments, enhancing conventional stroke rehabilitation methods. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the effectiveness of complementing conventional therapies with IVR therapy in stroke recovery. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Scopus were systematically searched from inception to January 2026 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the clinical outcomes of conventional stroke rehabilitation to those with an additional IVR rehabilitation component, using terms “stroke”, “virtual reality” and “rehabilitation”. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each study were computed and represented on a forest plot using a random-effects meta-analysis. Results: A total of 2,570 studies were initially screened, and 9 RCTs were included for meta-analysis. IVR adjunct demonstrated an improvement in upper limb motor function as measured by the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (SMD = 0.76, 95% CI 0.08–1.45; I2 = 70.3%). There was no statistically significant effects of IVR on Barthel Index, Berg Balance Scale, and gait speed. Discussion: Despite heterogeneity from pooled estimates, IVR has been shown to improve motor function when used in conjunction with conventional rehabilitation, which could potentially be translated to functional recovery post-stroke. Future research should focus on conducting pragmatic multi-centre RCTs with large participant sizes, where IVR can be integrated within routine stroke rehabilitation pathways. This will allow better translation of clinical research into practice and possibly extend IVR rehabilitation beyond stroke patients.
ER  -