Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Serious Games
Date Submitted: Apr 22, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Apr 24, 2025 - Jun 19, 2025
Date Accepted: Jun 5, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Effects of a Mixed Reality–Based Physical Therapy Program on Muscle Thickness, Balance Confidence, Activities of Daily Living, and Quality of Life in Older Adults With Sarcopenia: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
Older adults with sarcopenia often engage in therapeutic exercises to improve muscle thickness, balance confidence, activities of daily living (ADL), and quality of life (QOL). However, conventional face-to-face group exercise programs are typically standardizThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of a Mixed Reality–based Physical Therapy platform (Mr.PT) compared with Conventional Physical Activity (CPA) programs on quadriceps muscle thickness, balance confidence, independence in ADLs, and quality of life in older adults with sarcopenia.ed and may not adequately address individual needs, limiting their effectiveness.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a Mixed Reality–based Physical Therapy platform (Mr.PT) compared with Conventional Physical Activity (CPA) programs on quadriceps muscle thickness, balance confidence, independence in ADLs, and quality of life in older adults with sarcopenia.
Methods:
In this preliminary randomized controlled trial, 30 older adults with sarcopenia were randomly assigned to either the Mr.PT group or the CPA group. Both groups participated in 30-minute sessions, five times per week, for four weeks. Primary outcomes included quadriceps muscle thickness. Secondary outcomes included the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (KIADL), and the 12-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-12). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and after the intervention. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess time and group differences.
Results:
ANOVA demonstrated significant time effects on muscle thickness, ABC scores, KIADL scores, and SF-12 scores (p < 0.05). Post hoc analyses revealed that participants in the Mr.PT group achieved greater improvements in quadriceps This preliminary study suggests that a Mixed Reality–based physical therapy platform may offer enhanced benefits for improving muscle thickness and quality of life among older adults with sarcopenia. Further large-scale trials are warranted to confirm these findings and to optimize intervention protocols.muscle thickness and SF-12 scores compared to the CPA group.
Conclusions:
This preliminary study suggests that a Mixed Reality–based physical therapy platform may offer enhanced benefits for improving muscle thickness and quality of life among older adults with sarcopenia. Further large-scale trials are warranted to confirm these findings and to optimize intervention protocols. Clinical Trial: KCT0010241
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