The quest to apply VR technology to rehabilitation: tribulations and treasures

Abstract

Abstract. The papers that follow stem from a symposium presented at the International Society for Posture and Gait Research (ISPGR) in Seville, Spain, in July 2015. Four speakers were charged with presenting their methods of applying virtual reality (VR) technology to obtain meaningful rehabilitation outcomes. The symposium aims to explore characteristics of VR that modify mechanisms supporting motor relearning. Common impairments in posture and gait that can be modulated within virtual environments by employing motor learning concepts, including sensory augmentation and repetition, were examined. Critical overviews of VR applications that address different therapeutic objectives for improving posture and gait in individuals with neurological insult or injury were presented. A further goal was to identify approaches and efforts to bridge the gap between knowledge generation from research and knowledge uptake in clinical practice. Specific objectives of this symposium were that participants be able to: 1) identify benefits and limitations of selecting VR as an intervention tool; 2) discuss how VR relates to principles for motor relearning following neurological insult or injury; and 3) identify areas and methods for future translation of VR technology in clinical and home-based settings. Our symposium concluded that the application of VR technology in assessment, treatment, and research has yielded promising results in transferring learned cognitive and motor skills to more natural environments. VR permits the user to interact with a multidimensional and multisensory environment in real time, and offers the opportunity to provide both standardized and individualized interventions while monitoring behavior.

A Musculação Terapêutica Como Forma De Tratamento De Osteoartrite De Joelho Em Pacientes Idosos: Uma Revisão Sistemática

“…Vilela e Amado (2018); Brasil Exploratório, transversal, descritivo analítico, com abordagem quantiqualitativa.…”

Advanced technology for gait rehabilitation: An overview

“…132 Multisensory stimulation through different methods can augment the training session to resemble more real-life-like conditions, allowing a natural cognitive integration and a higher level functional recovery. 133 Augmented reality and VR 134 are as good for this approach as action observation 135 and mental imagery training, 136 but the last mentioned approaches require a previous contact of the user with the technology involved and a bit of confidence in one's imagination.…”

Effects of Video-Game Based Therapy on Balance, Postural Control, Functionality, and Quality of Life of Patients with Subacute Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Furthermore, commercial video games adapted to neurological patients with functional deficits can promote motivation, self-esteem, and patient adherence to these interventions [12][13][14], through strategies that promote enjoyment, involving sensorimotor and cognitive specificity for the performance of the proposed tasks, and eliciting changes in motor control [21][22][23][24]. Nonetheless, few studies have been developed in subacute stroke patients with an appropriate methodological design, in order to develop clearly defined intervention protocols with commercial VG, as a complement to conventional treatment programs in terms of balance, postural control, functionality, quality of life, and motivation outcomes [25][26][27].…”