Study aim: Poor posture is a widespread issue in today’s world, emphasizing the importance of spinal posture for balance, stability, and efficient movement. We aimed to systematically review the impact of virtual reality (VR) exercises on correcting spinal alignment in healthy individuals or those with spinal deformities.
Material and methods: We searched four databases for English abstracts—PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase—from their inception to 27 January 2024. Nine studies with 154 participants were included. Two authors extracted and confirmed the study characteristics, and two authors used the Downs and Black appraisal scale to assess study quality. Mean differences (95% CI) were calculated with the random effects model in RevMan version 5.4.
Results: The review highlights the impact of VR exercises on kyphosis, scoliosis, forward head posture, scapular retraction test (SRT), shoulder and neck range of motion (ROM), bilateral trunk and pelvic muscle tone, stiffness and elasticity, erector spinae and rectus abdominal muscle activity. Studies included stretching, strengthening, and VR dance exercises to improve spinal posture. Meta-analysis showed moderate evidence of increased neck left rotation, non-significant change in thoracic scoliosis deformity and limited evidence of increased neck extension, increased scapular retraction test results, cervical muscle tone and stiffness, and decreased thoracic kyphosis angle.
Conclusions: Overall, this review suggests that VR exercise may have potential as a tool for improving shoulder and neck range of motion and trunk and abdominal strength, and alleviating kyphosis. However, given the limited number of studies, further research is essential to establish more robust evidence.
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