What is the role of Virtual Reality (VR) in rehabilitation?

From the Guidelines

Virtual Reality (VR) is a valuable tool in rehabilitation, offering a promising approach to improving outcomes for patients with acquired brain injuries, including those with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), by creating immersive and interactive environments that promote neuroplasticity and recovery. The use of VR in rehabilitation has been explored in various studies, including a systematic review published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in 2021 1. This review highlights the potential of VR to assess and treat cognitive, motor, and emotional impairments in individuals with TBI, and provides recommendations for the design and implementation of VR interventions in rehabilitation settings.

Key Findings and Recommendations

• The review emphasizes the importance of co-design principles in the development of VR systems for ABI rehabilitation, involving intended users such as patients and therapists in the design and development process 1.
• The use of immersive VR technology with head-mounted displays (HMDs) is recommended, as it provides a more engaging and interactive experience for patients 1.
• VR interventions should be tailored to the specific needs and capabilities of individual patients, taking into account factors such as severity of injury, cognitive and motor impairments, and personal preferences 1.
• The review highlights the need for further research on the use of VR in TBI rehabilitation, including randomized controlled trials and studies with larger sample sizes, to establish the efficacy and safety of VR interventions 1.

Clinical Applications and Future Directions

• VR rehabilitation programs can be used to target specific functional movements, cognitive tasks, or exposure therapy scenarios, depending on the patient's needs 1.
• The use of VR in rehabilitation can increase patient motivation, provide immediate feedback on performance, and allow for precise measurement of progress 1.
• Telerehabilitation platforms can increase accessibility for patients with mobility limitations or those in remote areas, enabling remote delivery of VR interventions 1.
• Future research should focus on developing more immersive and interactive VR systems, incorporating co-design principles, and establishing the efficacy and safety of VR interventions in TBI rehabilitation 1.

From the Research

Role of Virtual Reality in Rehabilitation

• Virtual reality (VR) is a novel technology-driven approach in rehabilitation that has shown potential benefits in improving physical and cognitive functions in patients with various conditions, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral palsy 2, 3, 4, 5.
• VR-based interventions have been found to be effective in improving ambulation function, mobility, balance, upper limb function, and body structure/function and activity in patients with stroke and other neurological disorders 2, 5.
• The use of VR in rehabilitation has several advantages, including patient motivation, adaptability, and variability based on patient baseline, transparent data storage, online remote data access, economy of scale, and reduced medical costs 3.
• However, there are also challenges in using VR for rehabilitation, such as lack of computer skills on the part of therapists, lack of support infrastructure, expensive equipment, inadequate communication infrastructure, and patient safety concerns 3.

Applications of Virtual Reality in Rehabilitation

• VR has been used in various rehabilitation applications, including:
  • Stroke rehabilitation: VR-based interventions have been found to be effective in improving motor function, balance, and cognition in patients with stroke 2, 5, 6.
  • Traumatic brain injury rehabilitation: VR-based interventions have been found to be effective in improving cognitive function and motor skills in patients with traumatic brain injury 2, 4.
  • Cerebral palsy rehabilitation: VR-based interventions have been found to be effective in improving ambulation function and mobility in children with cerebral palsy 2, 5.
  • Musculoskeletal rehabilitation: VR-based interventions have been found to be effective in improving motor function and reducing pain in patients with musculoskeletal disorders 3.

Future Directions

• Further research is needed to fully explore the potential benefits and limitations of VR in rehabilitation, including high-quality randomized controlled trials to test principles and mechanisms, and to formulate evidence-based guidelines for designing VR-based rehabilitation interventions 2, 6.
• The development of personalized VR-based treatments and the use of motor learning principles in VR-based interventions may also be important areas of future research 5.