Comparison of the effect of six weeks of virtual reality rehabilitation training and reflexology massage on fatigue in paraplegic athletes

One of the consequences of living in today s society is the relatively high prevalence of spinal cord injury, which occurs for a variety of reasons. Decreased mobility in these people causes premature fatigue and consequently reduces their quality of life, which leads to other problems and diseases in these people.The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of virtual reality rehabilitation training and reflexology massage in reducing the fatigue rate of paraplegic athletes.This research is a quasi-experimental study and its statistical population consisted of paraplegic athletes in Tehran province. A total of ۴۵ paraplegic athletes with a level of lumbar spinal cord injury and a mean age of ۵۴.۲۹ years of exercise history of at least ۲ years were randomly divided into three groups: virtual reality, reflexology massage and control. The mean score of fatigue of athletes was ۴۵.۸۶± ۱۳.۵۷ which was obtained after the pre-test using the Fatigue Severity Scale questionnaire. Then Exercise programs were performed three times a week for ۳۰ minutes every other day for six weeks, the post-test was performed. Data analysis was performed by SPSS۱۶ software at a significance level of ۰.۰۵.Findings showed that virtual reality exercises and reflexology massage had a significant effect on fatigue in paraplegic athletes. Before the intervention, the mean fatigue score did not show a significant difference between the three groups, but after the intervention, a significant difference was observed between the experimental and control groups. It was also observed that although both groups had a significant reduction in fatigue reduction, but in the massage group this reduction was greater.According to the results of the present study, it is suggested to use virtual reality exercises and reflexology massage to reduce fatigue in people with paraplegia.

کلیدواژه ها:

virtual reality ، Reflexology Massage ، Paraplegia ، Fatigue