Effectiveness of Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Rehabilitation for Balance, Motor Function, and Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of fully immersive virtual reality and fully immersive virtual environment in improving balance, motor function, cognitive performance, and quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease, compared with conventional treatment. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched up to April 2025. Of the 983 studies screened, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis guidelines. Individuals with Parkinson's disease receiving fully immersive virtual reality/immersive virtual environment rehabilitation were included compared with conventional treatment. The meta-analysis only included randomized controlled trials and was conducted using RevMan 5.4.1 with a random-effects model and 95% confidence intervals. Fully immersive virtual reality/immersive virtual environment significantly improved dynamic balance Timed Up and Go Test(s) test and motor function (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale) with low heterogeneity, and quality of life (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39) with high heterogeneity ( I2 > 50%) compared with conventional treatment. No significant changes were found for the static balance (Berg Balance Scale), Tinetti scale, and Falls Efficacy Scale-International. Rehabilitation integrating fully immersive virtual reality/immersive virtual environment showed greater effectiveness than conventional treatment in improving dynamic balance, motor function, and quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease. Future randomized controlled trials with larger samples and extended follow-up are necessary to strengthen the evidence.