Materials and methods Introduction Virtual reality-based telerehabilitation program for balance recovery. A pilot study in hemiparetic individuals with acquired brain injury The use of virtual reality (VR) in neurorehabilitation has been proposed to promote motor learning through intensive, repetitive and task-oriented exercises [1]. Different studies have reported potential benefits of applying this technology in the current physical therapy protocols [2]. Preliminary studies have shown the potential benefits of VR-based interventions that train the ankle and hip [3] and the stepping strategy [4] to improve balance after an acquired brain injury (ABI). The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and usability of a VR telerehabilitation program in the rehabilitation of balance of hemiparetic individuals with ABI. Roberto Lloréns 1,2 , Enrique Noé 2 , Joan Ferri 2 , Mariano Alcañiz 1 Results Conclusions The results of the clinical scales and the posturography test support that the training with the telerehabilitation program provided clinical benefits to individuals with ABI. The high chronicity of the sample highlight the clinical improvement, suggesting that these programs can provide benefits, even long time after the injury. Scores to the questionnaires reported that the experience was very positive, even though the training was performed in their places, instead of in the neurorehabilitation unit. 1. Krakauer, JW (2006), Motor learning: its relevance to stroke recovery and neurorehabilitation, Curr Opin Neurol, 19, 1, pp. 84-90. 2. Laver, K, George, S, Thomas, S, Deutsch, JE and Crotty, M (2012), Cochrane review: virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation, Eur J Phys Rehabil Med, 48, 3, pp. 523-530. 3. Gil-Gomez, JA, Llorens, R, Alcaniz, M and Colomer, C (2011), Effectiveness of a Wii balance board-based system (eBaViR) for balance rehabilitation: a pilot randomized clinical trial in patients with acquired brain injury, J Neuroeng Rehabil, 8, 30. 4. Llorens, R, Alcaniz, M, Colomer, C and Navarro, MD (2012), Balance recovery through virtual stepping exercises using Kinect skeleton tracking: a follow-up study with chronic stroke patients, Stud Health Technol Inform, 181, 108-112. Intervention 8 individuals with chronic stroke (7 males and 1 female) with a mean age of 39.00±15.46 years old participated in the study. Participants presented a stroke (n=5) or a traumatic brain injury (n=3) with a right (n=3) or left (n=5) hemiparesis. 1 Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación en Bioingeniería y Tecnología Orientada al Ser Humano, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain. 2 Servicio de Neurorrehabilitación y Daño Cerebral de los Hospitales NISA. Fundación Hospitales NISA, Valencia, Spain Measure Before the treatment After the treatment Significance BBS 47.62±3.81 51.62±2.20 p<0.01 POMA - Balance 14.75±1.98 15.88±0.35 POMA - Gait 9.12±1.73 10.88±1.13 p<0.01 LOS 83.25±6.18 84.38±7.21 RWS – Anterior-posterior 81.00±11.44 88.38±6.91 p<0.05 RWS – Medial-lateral 86.75±14.67 90.75±9.82 Participants The intervention consisted of twenty 45-minute sessions with the stepping exercise, 3 to 5 times a week. The program was monitored by the clinical team from the neurorehabilitation unit. Participants were assessed before and after the treatment with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), and also a posturography test. To assess the limits of stability (LOS) and the rhythmic weight shift (RWS). In addition, the subjective experiences of the participants after the program were registered by two questionnaires: the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the Intrinsic Motivatory Inventory (IMI). The VR-based exercise represented the participants’ feet in an empty scenario with a central circle that represented the center of the VE. Different items rose from the floor around the circle. The objective of the exercise was to step on the rising items with the nearest foot while maintaining the other foot within the boundaries of the circle, and to recruit the extended foot afterwards. Measure After the treatment SUS 87.19±5.58 IMI Interest Competency Tension Usefulness 6.16±0.28 5.04±0.35 5.95±0.47 5.98±0.64 Participants had a significant improvement in the BBS (p<0.01), the gait subscale of the POMA (p<0.01), and in the posturography tests that assessed the rhythmic weight shift in the anterior-posterior axis (p<0.05). Scores of the SUS and IMI show high satisfaction and a good usability perception of the telerehabilitation system