Virtual reality

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview on the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in rehabilitation with respect to recent neuroscience and physical therapy reviews of individuals with motor impairments. A wide range of technologies have been employed to provide rehabilitation supported by VR. Several studies have found evidence of the benefits of VR rehabilitation technologies. However, support for their efficacy is still limited due the lack of generalizable results and the uncoordinated effort of many individual, heterogeneous studies that have been conducted. Although VR has clear potential as a rehabilitation tool to improve treatment outcomes, future trials need to take into account the individual perspective of each patient group and consolidate research methodologies across trials to allow for stronger conclusions across the heterogeneous field of neurorehabilitation. Interventions must be designed with a strong focus on the patient’s needs and clinical outcomes, rather than on the technology available to the clinician.