title: The Effect of Additional Virtual Reality Training on Balance in Children with Cerebral Palsy after Lower Limb Surgery: A Feasibility Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Impaired balance is disabling for children with cerebral palsy (CPc), especially for CPc who recently underwent lower limb surgery. Positive results of using virtual reality (VR) in balance rehabilitation have been published in several outpatient populations. We investigated the feasibility of applying additional VR training focused on sitting balance in CP inpatients of a rehabilitation center after lower limb surgery. Additionally, we investigated the rate of enjoyment of VR training compared with conventional physiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven spastic CPc (4/7 males/females) following rehabilitation after lower limb orthopedic surgery were included (5-18 years). The control group received conventional physiotherapy. The intervention group received additional VR training. Balance was measured using the Trunk Control Measurement Scale every 3 weeks of the rehabilitation period. Enjoyment was analyzed using a 10-point Visual Analog Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Providing additional VR training was feasible in terms of recruitment, treatment adherence, and assessment adherence. Both groups improved sitting balance after therapy. The current games were not perceived as more enjoyable than conventional physiotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Including additional VR training to conventional physiotherapy is feasible and might be promising to train sitting balance in CPc after lower limb surgery. Future research should take equal patient allocation and training duration between groups into consideration.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center , Amsterdam, The Netherlands .|2 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University , Gent, Belgium .|3 Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences , KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium .
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meyns
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences , KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium .
authors.forename: Liene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pans
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences , KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium .
authors.forename: Kaat
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Plasmans
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences , KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium .
authors.forename: Lieve
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heyrman
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences , KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium .|5 Clinical Motion Analysis Laboratory, CERM, University Hospital Leuven , Leuven, Belgium .
authors.forename: Kaat
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Desloovere
authors.affiliation: 5 Clinical Motion Analysis Laboratory, CERM, University Hospital Leuven , Leuven, Belgium .
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Molenaers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000523:psychology / Q000639:trends*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D000074822:Treatment Adherence and Compliance; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018910:Video Games / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D063367:Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Balance; Cerebral Palsy; Exergames; Neurological disorders; Physical therapy; Recovery; Rehabilitation; Virtual reality