Background Functional recovery after chronic stroke remains limited, requiring intensive and engaging rehabilitation approaches. Non-immersive virtual reality (NIVR) provides task-oriented, feedback-driven training that may enhance motor recovery in this population.

Objective To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a NIVR-based intervention (MindMotion™ GO) on upper limb motor function in patients with chronic left middle cerebral artery ischaemic stroke (LMCA stroke).

Methods A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in 26 patients with chronic middle cerebral artery stroke. Five participants were lost to follow-up, resulting in a final sample of 21 patients allocated to the non-immersive virtual reality group (NIVR, n = 9) and conventional occupational therapy group (n = 12). Both groups completed an 8-week intervention consisting of two 30–40-minute sessions per week. The primary outcome was upper limb motor function assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment–Upper Extremity (FMA-UE). Secondary outcomes included health-related quality of life (SF-12v2), emotional status (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview). Statistical analyses were performed using the intention-to-treat principle with non-parametric tests.

Results The NIVR group showed a clinically meaningful improvement in FMA-UE (median Δ21), exceeding the minimal clinically important difference (MCID = 7.35), whereas the control group showed smaller gains (Δ2.50) that did not reach clinical relevance. Both groups improved significantly over time; however, between-group differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). No significant changes were observed in quality of life, mood, or caregiver burden.

Conclusions NIVR using MindMotion™ GO is a safe and feasible intervention that can induce clinically meaningful improvements in upper limb motor function in chronic stroke patients. These findings support the incorporation of accessible, task-oriented virtual rehabilitation strategies in long-term stroke care.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

NCT07534124

This study did not receive any funding

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The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

Comite Etico Investigacion Clinica GAE HCSC Area 7 granted approval for this work.

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Funding This research received no external funding.

Ethics Statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethical Reviewing Committee of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (Nº22/459-E_Tesis) and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT07534124.

Institutional ethics committee registration number: (22/459-E_Tesis).

Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Data Availability Statement: The data generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and will be made available to any interested researcher.

All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors