Effectiveness of virtual reality and feedback to improve gait and balance in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathies: systematic review and meta-analysis
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the primary complication in patients with diabetes
mellitus, characterized by loss of sensation and function in the lower limbs. Virtual reality (VR)
and/or sensory feedback (FB) therapy has shown positive effects in other neurologic conditions such
as stroke. However, consensus regarding their effectiveness in the DPN population is lacking. This
study aims to analyze existing scientific evidence about the effects of VR and/or FB on improving
gait and balance and reducing the risk of falls in patients with DPN (pwDPN). A thorough search was
conducted in scientific databases including PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE, up until November 2023.
CMSQ, the PEDro scale, and the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool were used to assess the methodological
quality and risk of bias of the studies. A total of 10 studies were selected for qualitative analysis, with
three contributing information to the meta-analysis. The combined results suggest a positive trend
in favor of VR and FB rehabilitation; however, significant differences were not observed in balance
(SMD = -0.81, 95% CI = -1.90, 0.29; p = 0.15; I2 = 86%) or gait speed improvements (MD = -1.05,
95% CI = -2.96, 0.85; p = 0.28; I2 = 89%). Therefore, further randomized controlled studies are still
needed to achieve stronger conclusions regarding the benefits of VR and/or FB in pwDPN
