Virtual reality linked to less fear of falling in older adults
Fear-of-falling scores fell 4.2 points after virtual reality exercises, while conventional balance exercises produced no significant change.
Our read
Interventions- Studied:
- Randomized trial in 34 older adults, against participants doing conventional balance exercises (Blinded)
- What changed:
- Fear-of-falling scores fell 4.2 points after virtual reality exercises, while conventional exercises produced no clear change
- The catch:
- Only 34 older adults completed the trial
- In the record:
- The 7th paper on virtual reality balance training with results in people; 11 on record in all. Its result on balance agrees with all 4 other findings on record.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Thirty-four older adults—17 men and 17 women, averaging 71.3 years of age—completed a randomized trial comparing virtual reality with conventional balance training. Both groups exercised for 50 minutes twice weekly for six weeks. The virtual reality group used Kinect and a balance board.
After training, Falls Efficacy Scale scores, which measure fear of falling, fell 4.2 points in the virtual reality group; the conventional group showed no significant change. From baseline to follow-up, scores on the Berg Balance Scale improved by 6.1 points with virtual reality and 4.3 points with conventional training, with no significant difference between groups. Both groups also improved on a timed mobility test. Virtual reality participants reported greater enjoyment and a stronger sense of competence than those doing conventional exercises.
Why it matters
Balance problems and fear of falling contribute to falls in older people, which can lead to injury and poorer quality of life.
Caveats
The results concern balance tests and reported fear, not a demonstrated reduction in falls. Only 34 older adults completed the trial, and the abstract does not say how long follow-up lasted.
- Virtual reality balance training
- Accidental falls
- Falls Efficacy Scale
- Berg Balance Scale
- Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale
- Humans
The paper
Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences; Iran University of Medical Sciences
European Geriatric Medicine, May 31, 2026
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