Effect of Virtual Reality Training on Balance in Healthy Elderly Individuals: A Pilot Interventional Study

Abstract

Objective: Falls in the elderly are significantly linked with morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs; hence, it is important to treat the balance deficits in these older adults. In recent times, virtual reality (VR) has developed rapidly and is a promising tool in rehabilitation. However, research on virtual reality training (VRT) programs lacks methodological consistency, and their interventions and outcomes have produced contradictory results. Furthermore, there is a significant research deficit in the benefits of VRT, notably on balance in older persons in the Indian population. Hence, the current pilot study was done to see the effect of VRT on balance in older adults using the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) scale. Hence, the objective of this study was to find the effect of VRT on balance in the elderly.

Methods: The study was conducted in a Tertiary hospital and geriatric centre, Pune, India. The study duration was from December 2020 to January 2022. A pretest-posttest study was conducted with 30 healthy participants aged 65-85 years. They were divided into 2 groups, 15 in each group: control and experimental. Both groups received 30 minutes of conventional balance treatment, and the experimental group additionally received 10 minutes of VRT. A pre-assessment was conducted using BESTest (Balance Evaluation Systems Test) for both groups on day 1, followed by the intervention, and a post-assessment was conducted after 4 weeks. The intervention was given 3 times a week for 4 weeks.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 69.66 ± 5.67 in the VRT group and 71.2 ± 5.12 in the control group. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference in the BESTest scores in both groups after intervention P < .05). There was a significant difference in the BESTest scores when compared between the groups. This shows that VRT substantially improved balance in the elderly.

Cite this article as: Bhise S, Azeem Z, Dabadghav R, et al. Effect of virtual reality training on balance in healthy elderly individuals: A pilot interventional study. Arch Health Sci Res. 2026, 13, 0051, doi: 10.5152/ArcHealthSciRes.2026.25051.