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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Movement Science
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1483370
This article is part of the Research Topic Insights and Reviews In Movement Science View all 15 articles

Effects of Virtual Reality Motor Games on Motor Skills in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Zhuolin Xue Zhuolin Xue 1,2Weiqiang Zhang Weiqiang Zhang 3*Ni Zhou Ni Zhou 1Pengwei Ma Pengwei Ma 1,2*Kun Yuan Kun Yuan 1,2*Peiyun Zheng Peiyun Zheng 1,2*Junfeng Li Junfeng Li 4*Jindong Chang Jindong Chang 1,2*
  • 1 School of Physical Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
  • 2 Institute of Motor Quotient, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Chongqing, China
  • 3 Department of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, China
  • 4 Ministry of Sports, Shandong Technology and Business University, Yantai, China, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Enhancing motor skills is crucial for the functional development of children with cerebral palsy. Virtual reality has emerged as a promising technology for rehabilitating these children. Objective: The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate the effects of virtual reality motor games on the gross and fine motor skills of children with cerebral palsy. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in databases including PubMed, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, and Wanfang Data, covering publications from their inception to June 1, 2024, to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of virtual reality motor games on the gross and fine motor skills of children with cerebral palsy. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the PEDro scale, and data were analyzed with RevMan software (version 5.4). Results: Nineteen studies involving 850 children with cerebral palsy were included. The results indicated that virtual reality motor games significantly improved gross motor skills (mean difference [MD] 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75–2.56; P < .001) and fine motor skills (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.73, 95% CI: 0.30–1.16; P = .00008) in children with cerebral palsy. Conclusions: Virtual reality motor games have the potential to significantly enhance both gross and fine motor skills in children with cerebral palsy.

    Keywords: virtual reality, Cerebral Palsy, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, Children

    Received: 22 Aug 2024; Accepted: 10 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Xue, Zhang, Zhou, Ma, Yuan, Zheng, Li and Chang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Weiqiang Zhang, Department of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, China
    Pengwei Ma, School of Physical Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
    Kun Yuan, School of Physical Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
    Peiyun Zheng, School of Physical Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
    Junfeng Li, Ministry of Sports, Shandong Technology and Business University, Yantai, China, China
    Jindong Chang, School of Physical Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.