SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Translational Medicine
The Effect of the Computer-Assisted Rehabilitation Environment on Patient Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, China
- 2People’s Hospital of Deyang City, Deyang, China
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Background Computer-Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) integrates virtual reality, motion capture systems, and real-time feedback mechanisms to enhance patient rehabilitation results. The study aims to determine the potential benefit of CAREN in increasing balance, cognition and mental health in patients with neurological and musculoskeletal disorders. Methods Systematic searches were carried out through PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Web of Science for relevant studies published up to November 2025. The review comprised randomized, non-randomized controlled trials, and Single-arm studies evaluating the rehabilitative outcomes of CAREN treatment compared with standard therapy or no intervention in patients. The primary outcomes comprised balance function, cognitive functions, and mental health status; the secondary outcome was the incidence of adverse events. The quality for studies included in the review were evaluated with the Newcastle–Ottawa scale, and the pooled effect size were computed with standardized mean differences (SMD) or mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 18.0. Results The database search yielded 3,553 records, of which 15 studies were included, and 9 had sufficient data for meta-analysis. CAREN training significantly improved balance, as indicated by higher Berg Balance Scale scores (SMD=1.12; 95% CI, 0.08 to 2.16; p=0.03; I²=92.64%), and cognitive function, as shown by increased Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores (MD=0.44; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.76; p=0.01; I²=0.00%). Changes in fear of falling, assessed with the Falls Efficacy Scale–International (MD=−0.05; 95% CI, −0.36 to 0.27; p=0.76; I²=0.00%), and depression, evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory or Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (MD=−0.20; 95% CI, −0.62 to 0.22; p=0.35; I²=70.64%), were non-significant. Additionally, Adverse events were rare, with no serious cases reported. Conclusions CAREN training appears to improve balance and cognitive function, while its effects on mental health are relatively limited. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution. PROSPERO registration CRD420251172390
Keywords: Computer assisted rehabilitation environment, Recovery, Neurology, Musculoskeletal, meta analysis
Received: 27 Oct 2025; Accepted: 20 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liang, Huang, He, Wang, Peng, Zhang and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiao Xiao, xx167832@hotmail.com
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