Radiological (Magnetic Resonance Image and Ultrasound) and biochemical effects of virtual reality training on balance training in football players with chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality training is commonly used for balance problems in neurological conditions with the use of visual and auditory biofeedback. The knowledge about the effective implementation of this training in chronic low back pain is lacking. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to find the radiological and biochemical effects of virtual reality training in football players with chronic low back pain. METHODS: A randomized, single-blinded controlled study was conducted on 36 participants. The first group received virtual reality training (VRT; n= 12), the second group received combined physical rehabilitation (CPR; n= 12), and the third group (control group; n= 12) received conventional training exercises for four weeks. Radiological (muscle cross-sectional area and muscle thickness) and biochemical (CRP, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6) values were measured at baseline and after four weeks. RESULTS: Four weeks following training, the VRT group showed more significant changes in the muscle cross-sectional area than the CPR and control groups (p⩽ 0.001). Biochemical measures such as CRP, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6 also showed significant improvement in the VRT group compared to the other two groups (p⩽ 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results show that virtual reality training has positive effects on the radiological and biochemical aspects in university football players with chronic low back pain.