Virtual Reality as a Training Tool Impact on Upper Extremity Function in Children With Cerebral Palsy: Systematic Review

Approximately half of children with cerebral palsy (CP) may sustain dysfunctions in upper-extremity activities, such as reaching, grasping, and manipulation. Moreover, several children with CP experience tightness or weakness in their arms and hand muscles, which can lead to difficulty performing daily tasks such as dressing, feeding, performing in school, playing, or academic tasks such as writing. These limitations can lead to reduced health-related quality of life. Growing interest has been developing interventions for children with CP based on assistive technology like virtual reality (VR). VR-based systems in children with CP mostly focus on the lower extremities and ambulation (e.g., walking activity, balance, gait and gross motor skills). However, new treatment approaches are needed to improve upper extremity functions. This systematic review aimed to determine if VR technology as a training tool can increase upper extremity function for children with Cerebral palsy. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines and a literature search in six electronic databases was carried out from November 2021 to May 2024. The quality of the research was assessed by using the PEDRO scale. The findings show that using VR technology as a rehabilitation tool improves upper extremity function. Conventional therapy can be replaced with VR-based therapy, but more randomized and specific studies on the subject are needed in the future.