A Novel Virtual Reality Technique (Cervigame®) Compared to Conventional Proprioceptive Training to Treat Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Despite the potential benefits of virtual reality technology in physical rehabilitation, only a few studies have evaluated the efficacy of this type of treatment in patients with neck pain. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of virtual reality training (VRT) versus conventional proprioceptive training (CPT) in patients with neck pain. Forty four participants with nonspecific chronic neck pain were randomly assigned to VRT or CPT in this assessor-blinded clinical trial. A novel videogame called Cervigame® was designed for VRT. It comprises of 50 stages divided into unidirectional and two-directional stages ordered from easy to hard. CPT consisted of eye-follow, gaze stability, eye-head coordination and position and movement sense training. Both groups completed 8 training sessions over 4 weeks. Visual analogue scale score, neck disability index and Y-balance test results were recorded at baseline, immediately after and 5 weeks post-intervention. Mixed repeated measure ANOVA was used to analyze differences between mean values for each variable at an alpha level of 0.05. There were significant improvements in all variables in both groups immediately after and 5 weeks after the intervention. Greater improvements were observed in the visual analogue scale and neck disability index scores in VRT group, and the results for all directions in Y-balance test were similar in both groups. No side effects were reported. Improvements in neck pain and disability were greater in VRT than CPT group. Cervigame® is a potentially practical tool for rehabilitation in patients with neck pain.