Virtual Reality-assisted Physiotherapeutic Training for Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
In brief
VR physiotherapy cuts knee OA pain and boosts function by ~0.4 SD
A meta-analysis of five RCTs found that adding virtual-reality guided exercises to standard rehab lowered pain and improved physical function and balance by roughly 0.4 standard deviations compared with usual therapy. The benefit was consistent across trials, but long-term effects and cost-effectiveness remain to be clarified.
- Journal
- American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation (Q1)
- Published
- 17 July 2026
- Study design
- Systematic review / meta-analysis of RCTs
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1a)
- Authors
- Hsuan-Wei Liu, Tsung-Lin Tsai
- PMID
- 42468005
- DOI
- 10.1097/PHM.0000000000002914
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Rehabilitation (top studies of the week, 19 July 2026).
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR)-assisted physiotherapy in improving pain, physical function, and balance in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) compared with traditional rehabilitation treatments. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RESULTS: This analysis included 5 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The pooled results showed that, compared with consistency rehabilitation, virtual reality (VR)-assisted physiotherapy produced significantly better outcomes in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) for pain relief (SMD = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.14-0.65, P = 0.002), physical function (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.05-0.70, P = 0.003), and balance (SMD = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.16-0.72, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Virtual reality-assisted physiotherapy is an effective intervention for patients with knee osteoarthritis, showing superior outcomes in pain reduction, functional improvement, and balance enhancement compared to traditional rehabilitation approaches.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.