{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T16:34:15Z","timestamp":1791822855144,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]],"date-time":"2026-01-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768262400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100022018","name":"Opole University of Technology","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["255\/24"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["255\/24"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100022018","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Sarcopenia is an age-related decline in muscle mass and strength, reducing mobility and functional independence and increasing the risk of falls. Non-pharmacological interventions remain the most effective strategies to prevent or delay its progression, with exercise recognized as the primary approach. Virtual reality (VR)-based training has recently emerged as a promising tool to promote physical activity; however, its application among the oldest-old individuals remains underexplored. This is a randomized controlled pilot study to evaluate the effects of VR-based intervention using the game \u201cBeat Saber\u201d on muscle strength and selected physical performance indicators related to sarcopenia risk in older adults. Methods: Thirty-eight residents (mean age: 87.2) of a long-term care facility were randomly assigned to either a VR group or a control group. The VR group participated in 12 supervised VR-based training sessions of 20 min per session, three times per week for four weeks. Handgrip strength, the arm curl test, 30-s chair stand, a 2-min step-in-place test, and an 8-foot up-and-go test were assessed before and after the intervention. Results: Linear mixed-model analyses revealed significant group-by-time interactions for upper- and lower-limb strength (handgrip, arm curl, chair stand; p &lt; 0.05), favoring the VR group. Agility and endurance (8-foot up-and-go, 2-min step-in-place) showed no significant interactions. In the VR group, the 30-s chair stand performance correlated positively with the arm curl and the 2-min step-in-place tests results, while handgrip strength correlated with the arm curl performance. In the control group, the 30-s chair stand test results correlated strongly with the 8-foot up-and-go and 2-min step-in-place tests, but no significant correlations were found for handgrip strength. Conclusions: The findings indicate short-term functional benefits of VR exercise among the oldest-old adults. VR-based training appears to be an effective and well-tolerated method to enhance physical performance in individuals aged 80 and older and may represent a valuable strategy for improving functional performance indicators associated with sarcopenia risk in adults aged 80 years and older.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15020621","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]],"date-time":"2026-01-13T08:17:32Z","timestamp":1768292252000},"page":"621","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["The Effects of Gamified Virtual Reality on Muscle Strength and Physical Function in the Oldest Old\u2014A Pilot Study on Sarcopenia-Related Functional Outcomes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6278-6924","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u017baneta","family":"Grzywacz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Production Engineering and Logistics, Opole University of Technology, 76 Pr\u00f3szkowska St., 45-758 Opole, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Justyna","family":"Ja\u015bniewicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Production Engineering and Logistics, Opole University of Technology, 76 Pr\u00f3szkowska St., 45-758 Opole, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Koziarska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Education Applications of Mathematic, Opole University of Technology, 76 Pr\u00f3szkowska St., 45-758 Opole, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joanna","family":"Macierzy\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Opole University of Technology, 76 Pr\u00f3szkowska St., 45-758 Opole, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7248-9544","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edyta","family":"Majorczyk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Opole University of Technology, 76 Pr\u00f3szkowska St., 45-758 Opole, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsr.2016.05.001","article-title":"The direct costs of fatal and non-fatal falls among older adults\u2014United States","volume":"58","author":"Burns","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. 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