Virtual Reality and Functional Gait Training on Lower Limb Motor Recovery and Gait in Subjects with Stroke - A Comparative Study

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) combined with conventional physiotherapy versus functional gait training with conventional physiotherapy in improving lower limb motor recovery and gait in post-stroke individuals. A quasi-experimental design was used with 66 participants (average age 58.5 years) diagnosed with stroke-related gait impairments, randomly assigned to two groups. Group A received VR-based training plus conventional physiotherapy, while Group B received functional gait training plus conventional physiotherapy, each for 30 minutes, twice weekly for six weeks. Outcome measures included the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) and Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Lower Extremity (FMA-LE). Both groups showed significant improvements within groups; however, Group A demonstrated significantly greater improvements than Group B in both DGI and FMA-LE scores. The findings suggest that VR combined with conventional physiotherapy is more effective than functional gait training for enhancing gait and motor recovery in stroke rehabilitation.