Virtual Reality for Upper Extremity Rehabilitation—A Prospective Pilot Study

Abstract

Applications related to virtual reality are a rapidly growing area. Thus, these technologies are also increasingly used in the field of medicine and rehabilitation. The primary objective of this prospective pilot study was to investigate the feasibility, user experience and acceptance of a virtual-reality-based system for upper extremity rehabilitation. The study was conducted as a single-center trial over 16 weeks. The eligibility criteria included rehabilitants with upper extremity injuries of at least 18 years of age who were fluent in spoken and written German. After detailed instruction, each participant was asked to complete daily 30 min exercises over 15 training sessions with the virtual reality system consisting of three different training modules. Outcomes were assessed pre-study and post-study using standardized clinical measures. In addition, qualitative interviews with rehabilitants as well as therapists regarding user experience and acceptance were conducted. Six participants were recruited for the pilot study, of which five underwent virtual-reality-based rehabilitation. Overall, the clinical measures showed a positive tendency over the course of the study, even if the results were not significant. Furthermore, the virtual-reality-based training was well accepted by the participants as well as therapists. Given these findings, it will be beneficial to evaluate virtual reality for rehabilitation in further research.

Movement analysis of fully immersive virtual reality therapeutic module for usage in physical therapy field

“…In addition, a previous study concluded that immersive VR using an interactive kitchen environment provided better improvement in upper limb functional activities and pain in patients with upper limb complex regional pain syndrome [14]. Another study revealed that Meta Quest 2 VR based rehabilitation using three different tasks (1 st memory game matching button pairs, 2 nd drawing a threedimensional trajectory between highlighted planets to connect them, and 3 rd touching pairs of hands (left and right) from their respective sides) significantly improved upper limb function and shoulder and elbow joint mobility in their study for upper limb injuries [15]. Similar results were obtained for both upper limb functional performance and pain in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome [16].…”

Immersive Virtual Reality Application for Rehabilitation in Unilateral Spatial Neglect: A Promising New Frontier in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

“…Later, VR appeared in applications aimed at adults. VR applications have been used in the treatment/rehabilitation of orthopedic conditions (such as ankle sprains and shoulder pain and impingement) [19], neurological rehabilitation [20], the general rehabilitation of the upper body, particularly the upper extremities [21,22], Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and eating disorders [23]. Many studies show the effectiveness of VR in neurological rehabilitation [24][25][26][27], including post-stroke rehabilitation [15,26,28].…”