Introduction: Following a stroke, patients often have impaired balance. The improvement of balance is necessary for restoring independence in activities of daily living. Various therapeutic interventions are used for restoring balance; one of them is balance training with visual feedback. Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of standing balance training with visual feedback in stroke patients based on a literature review. Methods: The literature was searched in the PubMed database. Only randomized controlled trials written in English and published by December 2020 were included in the review. Results: Seven studies were included in the review, with a total number of 243 participants. Experimental groups received standing balance training with visual feedback in addition to conventional treatment. Balance training was added in a way that the experimental group either received longer treatment time than the control group (5 studies) or that the treatment time of both groups was equal (3 studies). Control groups received only conventional treatment. With longer treatment time, standing balance training with visual feedback was effective in improving dynamic balance, but not gait and mobility. Results about the effects on static balance and activities of daily living were inconsistent. When the treatment time of both groups was equal, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the effects on static and dynamic balance, walking speed, and mobility. Conclusion: When added to conventional treatment, standing balance training with visual feedback is effective in improving dynamic balance in subacute and chronic stroke patients. Training should include maintaining steady posture and shifting weight in different directions on a stable or unstable platform. Visual biofeedback should be received in the form of a cursor on the screen, which should be kept in the center or followed when moving. Training should be performed for two to four weeks, five times per week for 20 minutes. Further studies are needed to determine in which stage after stroke the training is most effective and whether it has long-term effects.
|