Virtual Reality for Walking and Balance in Older Adults (VR-GAIT)

June 13, 2026 updated by: Anbreena Rasool, University of Faisalabad

Effects of Virtual Reality on Gait and Balance in Community Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Falls are common in older adults due to aging-related problems with walking (gait) and balance. Virtual Reality (VR) is a new technology that creates interactive video game-like exercises. This study aims to see if VR training works better than traditional physical therapy exercises for improving walking and balance in adults aged 60 years and older who live in the community. Half of the 36 participants will use a VR headset to play movement games, while the other half will do standard exercises like tandem walking. We will measure their walking speed, step length, and balance before and after 4-6 weeks of training.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This is a single-center, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial conducted at Madinah Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad. Participants (N=36) are community-dwelling adults aged >=60 years, ambulatory with or without aids, with no severe cognitive impairment or uncontrolled cardiovascular disease. After baseline assessment (including Image-based modeling using OpenPose software, 6-Meter Walk Test, and Berg Balance Scale), participants are randomly allocated to Group A (VR) or Group B (Control). The VR group uses a head-mounted display (Oculus/Meta type) and a computer screen displaying a 3D world for gait and balance tasks. The control group performs conventional rehabilitation including tandem walking, weight shifts, and postural control exercises on different surfaces. Both interventions are delivered 30-45 minutes per session, 2-3 times per week for 4-6 weeks. The primary outcome is gait (speed and kinematics). The secondary outcome is balance (BBS). Statistical analysis will be performed using IBM SPSS v22.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

36

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Faisalābad, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 3800
        • The University of Faisalabad

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Community dwelling adults aged >= 60 years.
  • Able to follow instructions.
  • Able to walk with or without an assistive device.
  • Vital signs stable.
  • No severe cognitive impairment.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe visual or vestibular disorders.
  • Uncontrolled cardiovascular disease.
  • Severe musculoskeletal impairments.
  • Recent major surgery or spinal surgery.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Virtual Reality Training Group
Participants wear a VR headset and view a 3D computer-generated world to perform interactive gait and balance exercises.
Device: Virtual Reality Headset
Immersive VR system (e.g., Meta Quest 2 or similar) running interactive rehabilitation software. Duration: 30-45 minutes. Frequency: 2-3 times per week. Duration of intervention: 4-6 weeks.
Other: Conventional Gait and Balance Training
Standard physiotherapy protocol including tandem stance, single-leg stance, sit-to-stand, walking over obstacles, and multidirectional weight shifts. Duration: 30-45 minutes. Frequency: 2-3 times per week. Duration: 4-6 weeks.
Active Comparator: Conventional Physical Therapy Group
Participants perform standard balance and gait exercises including tandem walking, weight shifting, and walking on different surfaces without VR.
Other: Conventional Gait and Balance Training
Standard physiotherapy protocol including tandem stance, single-leg stance, sit-to-stand, walking over obstacles, and multidirectional weight shifts. Duration: 30-45 minutes. Frequency: 2-3 times per week. Duration: 4-6 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Gait Speed
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 6)
Gait speed will be measured using the 6-Meter Walk Test (seconds to walk 6 meters) and Image-Based Modeling (OpenPose software analysis of stride length and cadence from iPhone 12 Pro Max video recordings).
Baseline (Week 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 6)
Change in Balance
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 6)
Balance will be measured using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), a 14-item scale scoring from 0 to 56. Higher scores indicate better balance.
Baseline (Week 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 6)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Faisalabad

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 24, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 13, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • TUF/EIRB/ 215 /26

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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