Picture this: You're in the midst of a stadium packed with thousands of spectators watching your every move. In an electrifying moment, you swing your racket, contact the tennis ball, and score the final point to win the match! The crowd goes crazy and you relish this victory in your rehabilitation journey.
Unbelievable as it may seem, this scenario portrays the potential future of rehabilitation in this era. From the comfort of your own home, you can immerse yourself into unforeseen realms designed to help you achieve your much desired recovery goals. In the above example, the user may not have been focused so much on getting ready for the Canadian Open – but aiming to improve their arm function following a stroke or spinal cord injury.
Virtual reality rehabilitation, often referred to as VR rehab, is an exciting innovation as one of the most promising treatments for individuals to recover from physical injuries, neurological conditions, and cognitive impairments. This blog explores the potential of virtual reality in rehabilitation and how it may change the future of healthcare.
Understanding Virtual Reality Rehabilitation:
Virtual reality rehabilitation involves the use of immersive VR technology to assist individuals in their recovery process. It is applicable across various areas of rehabilitation, including physical, occupational, and cognitive therapy. VR rehab uses designed software to create simulated environments that mimic real-life scenarios. Patients wear VR headsets and can also use motion controllers to interact with these environments.
Applications of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation:
1. Physical Rehabilitation:
Several studies have shown that VR rehab is effective in helping individuals recovering from physical injuries or surgeries. It can help improve the outcomes of exercise therapy through mobility, balance, strength, and coordination training. For example, patients with upper limb injuries can practice mobility control by bouncing a virtual ball into a set of baskets.
2. Neurological Rehabilitation:
VR is providing new opportunities in treating neurological conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injuries, and Parkinson's disease. It assists in retraining the brain and helps in restoring lost functions, including balance and gait. Using VR exercises with Nintendo Wii has been shown to help significantly improve reach, posture, and balance in stroke patients.
3. Pain Management:
Virtual reality can be used as a distraction technique to alleviate pain during rehabilitation. By immersing patients in an engaging VR environment, their focus shifts away from discomfort, providing relief and reducing the need for pain medications.
4. Cognitive Rehabilitation:
VR rehab can be beneficial for individuals recovering from cognitive impairments due to conditions like dementia or traumatic brain injuries. It offers cognitive exercises, memory training, and activities that promote problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Benefits:
1. Enhanced Engagement and Motivation:
Traditional rehabilitation exercises can become monotonous over time. VR rehab offers an engaging experience that encourages patients to participate actively in their therapy. The ability to immerse in a virtual world can make the rehabilitation process feel like an exciting adventure rather than a chore.
2. Personalized Therapy:
VR rehab allows for personalized treatment plans for each patient's specific needs and abilities. Therapists can adjust the difficulty levels and scenarios in real-time, ensuring that the exercises are challenging yet achievable for patients.
3. Real-Life Simulations:
VR can recreate real-life scenarios and activities, such as walking on uneven terrain, cooking, or even driving. This enables patients to practice daily tasks in a safe and controlled environment, preparing them for real-world challenges.
4. Performance Feedback:
Virtual reality systems can collect data on patients' performance, including movement range, reaction time, and accuracy. This data can be analyzed to track progress over time and make adjustments to the rehabilitation plan.
Disadvantages:
Although virtual reality is showing promising results for the future of rehabilitation technologies, there are certain challenges it has yet to overcome:
Accommodation:
Since VR technology creates an alternate reality from the real world, it can take time for patients to adjust to the new setting. In particular, individuals that have suffered stroke and neurological impairments can find themselves confused as they navigate this unknown environment. Since the VR interface uses devices such as joysticks and wands, it may not be user-friendly for impaired patients or for those not overly comfortable with technology. This drawback may make it challenging for some individuals to engage in VR rehab.
Clinical Significance:
Although several studies have shown the effectiveness of virtual reality in rehabilitation, the degree to which achievements made in the virtual setting can be transferable to real life is still unknown. Some studies showed little variation in patients that received no rehabilitation compared to those who engaged in VR rehab. This suggests that more research on VR rehab’s clinical significance is necessary.
Cost:
Because VR rehabilitation is a new technology, the cost of this system for the end user can be expensive. On the low end, VR devices are estimated to be around $600 and on the high end it can reach up to $17 000. This can make it very challenging for individuals facing financial barriers to access this new system.
Conclusion:
The introduction of virtual reality into healthcare rehabilitation is an exciting development with transformative potential. While research continues to expand our knowledge on virtual reality and address its associated challenges, the potential benefits of VR rehab in terms of personalization, engagement, and adaptability make it a promising tool for helping individuals on their path to recovery. As technology continues to advance, VR rehab may provide a promising change to the future of rehabilitation, offering improved outcomes to countless patients.
Resources:
Pedersen, M., Hartzbech, P., Seernani, D., & Krosschell, K. (2023, June 1). Virtual reality in rehabilitation: Game-changer for Recovery. iMotions. https://imotions.com/blog/insights/research-insights/virtual-reality-rehabilitation/
Tokgöz, P., Stampa, S., Wähnert, D., Vordemvenne, T., & Dockweiler, C. (2022). Virtual reality in the rehabilitation of patients with injuries and diseases of Upper Extremities. Healthcare, 10(6), 1124. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10061124
Fusco, A., Giovannini, S., Castelli, L., Coraci, D., Gatto, D. M., Reale, G., Pastorino, R., & Padua, L. (2022). Virtual reality and lower limb rehabilitation: Effects on motor and cognitive outcome—a crossover pilot study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(9), 2300. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11092300
Karasu, A., Batur, E., & Karataş, G. (2018). Effectiveness of wii-based rehabilitation in stroke: A randomized controlled study. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 50(5), 406–412. https://doi.org/10.2340/16501977-2331
Godman, H. (2022, April 1). Virtual reality for chronic pain relief. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/virtual-reality-for-chronic-pain-relief
Sears, B. (2023, August 2). Virtual reality headset use in PT: A novel approach to rehab. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/vr-headsets-in-physical-therapy-and-rehab-5084948#:~:text=Using%20VR%20to%20create%20engaging,Ankle%20sprains
Ferche, O., Moldoveanu, A., Moldoveanu, F., Voinea, A., Asavei, V., & Negoi, I. (2015). Challenges and issues for successfully applying virtual reality in medical rehabilitation. 11th International Conference eLearning and Software for Education. https://doi.org/10.12753/2066-026x-15-073
Asadzadeh, A., Samad-Soltani, T., Salahzadeh, Z., & Rezaei-Hachesu, P. (2021). Effectiveness of virtual reality-based exercise therapy in rehabilitation: A scoping review. Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, 24, 100562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2021.100562