Virtual reality training for gait disorders in Parkinson’s disease: a bibliometric and visual analysis of hotspots and trends using CiteSpace and VOSviewer

Background This study systematically reviews the current status, hotspot distribution, and developmental trends of virtual reality (VR) training for improving gait disorders in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Aim To map the global intellectual landscape and emerging frontiers of VR training for PD gait disorders (primary objective), while identifying developmental gaps in Chinese research through cross-database comparative analysis (secondary objective). Methods Relevant literature published between 2008 and 2025 was retrieved from the Web of Science, PubMed, and CNKI databases. Ultimately, 535 English and 18 Chinese articles were included. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to conduct visual analyses of publication volume, cooperation networks (countries, authors, and institutions), keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and burst terms. Results English publication volume grew steadily, peaking between 2020 and 2025, whereas Chinese literature yielded only 18 articles (averaging fewer than three annually). The United States (108 papers) occupies the core position in the national cooperation network. China ranks third in publication volume (42 papers) but lacks extensive international collaboration. English keywords focused on “virtual reality,” “gait,” “balance,” and “augmented reality,” while Chinese keywords centered on similar core concepts. Burst term analysis indicates that research frontiers have shifted from “physical therapy” and “neuroplasticity” toward intelligent, remote, and personalized directions, such as “wearable sensors,” “telerehabilitation,” and “deep learning.” Discussion VR training for PD gait disorders represents an expanding global research domain. Under strictly applied database parameters, cross-linguistic analysis reveals distinct thematic focuses rather than a baseline disparity. International English literature predominantly addresses technical frontier iterations, while Chinese-language publications demonstrate a highly specialized path dedicated to localized clinical application and efficacy verification. Future studies should strengthen multi-center cross-linguistic collaboration, emphasize precision rehabilitation and neural mechanisms, and promote personalized telerehabilitation interventions.