Advanced Rehabilitation Strategies for Post-Operative Breast Cancer: A Study on the Effectiveness of Training using Virtual Reality (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Surgical treatment of breast cancer may be associated with physical and psychological side effects. Exercises especially those aided by virtual reality can improve both physical and psychological dysfunction. OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of exercises using Virtual Reality technology (Pablo games) on Function, grip strength, wrist ROM , Fatigue, Pain, Activities of daily living(ADLs) ,and Anxiety on status post-operative breast cancer females. METHODS Forty post-operative breast cancer females completed the current study; 19 in the control group (CG) which received a standard treatment consisted of Upper limb training, and intermittent compression therapy while 21 participants were assigned to the Pablo group (PG) and received the standard treatment plus training using Pablo games training system. The intervention period was eight weeks. The outcome measures were Function, grip strength, wrist ROM , Fatigue, Pain, Activities of daily living ,and Anxiety ,Data were obtained at the baseline, after 8 weeks, and at two months followed up. RESULTS There was a decline in pain, function, fatigue, and improvement in ADLs, grip strength, and ROM at post-intervention and at two months follow-up in both groups (P < .001). Meanwhile, PG only demonstrated statistically significant improvement in PG. Between-groups Comparison demonstrated statistically significant decrease in pain, disability, anxiety, fatigue, and improvement in ADLs, grip strength and ROM in favor of the PG compared to both at post-treatment and at follow-up (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Adding Virtual Reality using Pablo Game Training instrument to the standard rehabilitation of post-surgical breast cancer can further improve function, Hand grip, wrist ROM, Fatigue, Pain, and ADLs. CLINICALTRIAL https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ website with a registration number: NCT06058936.