Virtual Reality Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury: What a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Found for Walking and Balance

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who work with adults after spinal cord injury in inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient neurologic practice, or community-based settings, and who want a clear account of what the virtual reality literature currently supports.

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Introductory

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

This course is based on a single published source, and every finding described here is drawn from it.

Wang L, Zhang H, Ai H, Liu Y. Effects of virtual reality rehabilitation after spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2024;21(1):191. doi:10.1186/s12984-024-01492-w. PMID: 39468617; PMCID: PMC11514920.

The review was registered in advance with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews and followed the reporting approach of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the population, interventions, and outcome measures examined in this systematic review of virtual reality rehabilitation after spinal cord injury.
2. State which functional outcomes improved after virtual reality training in this review and which showed no clear change.
3. Explain the limitations the authors identified that constrain how confidently their conclusions can be applied in practice.

1. Start Here: How This Course Works
2. Podcast: Virtual Reality After Spinal Cord Injury, in Plain Language (about nine minutes)
3. Why Researchers Pooled the Virtual Reality Trials in Spinal Cord Injury
4. Who Was Studied and How the Review Was Built
5. Walking, Balance, Upper Limb, and Daily Living: What the Pooled Results Showed
6. Small Samples, Few Randomized Trials, and Thin Safety Data
7. Reading This Evidence Alongside Neurologic Practice
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-Test and Course Evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. This course is based on a single published source, and every finding described here is drawn from it.
2. Wang L, Zhang H, Ai H, Liu Y. Effects of virtual reality rehabilitation after spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2024;21(1):191. doi:10.1186/s12984-024-01492-w. PMID: 39468617; PMCID: PMC11514920.
3. The review was registered in advance with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews and followed the reporting approach of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.