Balance Training in Virtual Reality Promotes Performance Improvement but Not Transfer to Postural Control in People with Chronic Stroke

Objective: In people with chronic stroke, we investigated the transfer of gains obtained after balance training with virtual reality (VR) to an untrained task with similar balance demands. Materials and Methods: This study included 29 people with chronic stroke randomized into two groups: experimental (EG, n = 16) and control (CG, n = 13). The EG performed three sessions of balance training with VR using a platform-based videogame (Nintendo Wii Fit system™) for 1 week. The CG received no intervention. Transfer was evaluated through balance tests on the force platform Balance Master™, performed before and after the intervention period, for both groups. Results: The analysis of variance for repeated measures for game performance in the EG showed statistically significant improvement in scores in all five games after training (AT). In contrast, similar analysis for balance tests for the EG and CG showed no significant differences in performance index scores derived from the Balance Master tests after the intervention period for both groups. Conclusion: People with chronic stroke showed performance improvement AT with VR, but there was no transfer of the gains obtained to an untrained task with similar balance demands.