The goal of this clinical trial is to confirm the efficacy and feasibility of early rehabilitation combined with virtual reality training in patients following first-time acute stroke. The main questions it aims to answer are: * The impact of virtual reality training on muscle strength; * The impact of virtual reality training on functional recovery; * The impact of virtual reality training on mood state. Researchers will compare the experimental group, which received early rehabilitation combined with VR training, and the comparison group, which received only early rehabilitation, to see if VR training has clinical benefits when provided alongside early rehabilitation during hospitalization.
Early rehabilitation has been shown to enhance outcomes for patients with first-time acute stroke. However, whether the addition of virtual reality (VR) training could further improve muscle strength, functional recovery, and mood state for these patients is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of early rehabilitation combined with VR training in patients following first-time acute stroke. Patients with acute ischemic stroke will be selected and randomly assigned with a 1:1 randomization ratio to either the experimental group or the comparison group. Both groups received early rehabilitation, and the experimental group received extra VR training starting 24 hours to 3 days poststroke during the stay in the hospital. Muscle strength, functional status, and mood state will be collected before and after the intervention.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
38
The experimental group received five additional days of supervised VR training using a wireless sensor in a private room in the neurological care ward.
Five 60-minute sessions per week, was prescribed by a rehabilitation physician and performed by physical, occupational, and speech therapists from 3 to 6 days after admission.
Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center
Taipei, Taiwan
muscle strength
The testing involved assessing the patient's upper and lower limb/extremities muscles against the examiner's resistance and grading the patient's strength on a 0-5 scale, higher scores mean a better outcome.
Time frame: through the admission period, an average of 1 month
postural control
The Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke (PASS), consisting of two sections with a 4-point scale, with 0 being the lowest level of functionality and 3 the highest, and a total score ranging from 0-36, is a well-validated clinical assessment tool for postural control in patients with stroke during the first three months after stroke.
Time frame: through the admission period, an average of 1 month
activities of daily living
The Barthel scale used to assess individuals' performance in activities of daily living has high inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability as well as high correlations with other measures of physical disability. The scores of the 10-item Barthel scale range from 0-100 with 5-point increments. Patients with higher scores are more independent than those with lower scores in their daily activities.
Time frame: through the admission period, an average of 1 month
mood state
Mood state was assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). This well-validated tool has 14 items (7 items related to anxiety \[HADS-A\] and 7 related to depression \[HADS-D\]). Each item of the HADS is scored from 0-3, and the range is 0-21 for depression and anxiety. Participants with higher scores represent a higher level of depression or anxiety. A cut-off point of 8 has been identified for anxiety or depression.
Time frame: through the admission period, an average of 1 month
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