Knee OA is one of the most prevalent orthopedic diseases in the elderly population, with a degenerative and progressive character that affects the articular cartilage, limiting the articular range of motion (ROM) due to rigidity and causing important functional restrictions. Virtual reality (VR) is one of the instruments that can help in the rehabilitation process of patients, motivating them and enabling more assertive movements and exercises.

Ninety patients (65 women and 25 men) between 50 and 70 years old, with a medical diagnosis of OA in at least one knee participated in the study. After completing the WOMAC and Lequesne questionnaires, they were evaluated for pain and muscular strength. The volunteers signed the consent term and were then randomly divided, using opaque, sealed envelopes, into 3 groups: control group - performed a conventional physiotherapy program with aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises; experimental group 1 (Wii) - in addition to the conventional program used Nintendo's Wii Fit games; experimental group 2 (Kinect) - complemented the conventional treatment with the Xbox Kinect video game system.

It was observed that, in general, the three study groups demonstrated statistically significant improvement (P<0.05) in relation to pain and muscular strength. The groups with inclusion of the VR resources only presented better results than the control group in the function dimension of the WOMAC questionnaire.

The methodological conditions used in the study suggest that virtual reality as an additional instrument in rehabilitation programs for patients with knee OA was better than the control group only in the function dimension of the WOMAC questionnaire.