RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have a higher incidence of respiratory dysfunction than healthy children. Virtual reality breathing therapy is an assistive technology that is becoming popular in the rehabilitation of children with CP. METHODS: This experimental study included a total of 32 children with spastic diplegic CP who were divided into two groups: the virtual reality breathing training (VRBT) group and the incentive spirometry (IST) group. Individuals classified as levels I to III on the gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) were recruited using the simple random sampling method. RESULT: The results of comparing the values of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1), and the ratio of FVC/FEV1 showed a significant difference between groups. A significant difference was found in the VRBT group compared to the IST group, except for the peak expiratory flow (PEF) values, which showed a nonsignificant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: There were significant differences in FVC and FEV1 between the VRBT and IST groups. It has been concluded that VRBT has additional benefits in improving pulmonary functions.