What are the therapeutic benefits
of virtual reality?
Physiotherapy rehabilitation has been revolutionised by the introduction of immersive virtual reality. This technology offers unprecedented opportunities to improve treatment and optimise patient recovery.
But what exactly are the benefits of virtual reality for physiotherapists? Let's explore this innovation.
What is immersive virtual reality?
The immersive virtual reality immerses the patient in an interactive 3D computer-generated environment. Unlike a simple 2D screen, the patient is as if "inside" the setting. They can interact with the virtual world. For example, head movements can trigger an action in the environment.
Thanks to the immersion and interactivity of virtual reality, patients experience a high degree of presence and engagement. This makes it possible to manipulate the cognitive processes involved in his motor control.
For his part, the therapist controls this immersive environment. It can simulate situations very close to reality in a controlled and secure setting.
The benefits of virtual reality for rehabilitation
Therapeutic potential
Immersed in virtual reality, the patient experiences activities similar to those in the real world, thanks to artificial sensory feedback.
This enables task-oriented, repetitive and intensive training. By making therapeutic activities enjoyable and attractive, we can reduce the loss of motivation. This increases commitment and adherence to therapy.
What's more, virtual-world environments offer an unrivalled safety for working on tasks that would otherwise be risky.
As each pathology has its own specifications, the therapeutic virtual reality tools used must be adaptable. It's important for therapists to be able to personalize exercises and adapt their pace and intensity to their patients' needs.
_edited.png)
Significant pain reduction
In the search for non-pharmacological analgesic solutions, therapeutic virtual reality is emerging as a promising and effective alternative.
Virtual reality is effective for pain relief in a variety of painful contexts, such as fibromyalgia or phantom limb pain. This literature review shows that it can help in the short term to relieve acute and chronic pain.
The effectiveness of virtual reality therapy in pain reduction can be attributed to its distraction potential. By offering an immersive experience, virtual reality dshifts attention away from pain.
Perform movements without apprehension
A major obstacle to rehabilitation is kinesiophobia, or fear of movement. This fear leads patients to reduce their physical activity, which hampers their recovery process.
Using virtual reality in a therapeutic setting helps overcome this fear, allowing patients to move more freely and instinctively. When a patient is immersed in an interactive virtual environment, they focus on their goal and forget their fears and inhibitions.
This facilitates more natural and fluid movements in the therapy set up.
Greater motivation and buy-in
Virtual reality exposure therapy makes sessions more engaging and less repetitive. Patients receive biofeedbacks in real time to encourage them, improving their motivation and adherence to rehabilitation sessions.
The perception of effort is reduced, sessions are less monotonous and the sensation of exhaustion diminishes, as in this randomized controlled trial on femoro patellar pain (Ebrahimi et al., 2021).
The ability to monitor progress and receive virtual encouragement helps turn rehabilitation into a positive, rewarding experience.
Specific applications of virtual reality in rehabilitation
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (CBT)
EMOTION
how I feel
THOUGHTS
what I tell myself
BEHAVIOR
what I do
Virtual reality enables controlled exposure to phobic stimuli. Exposure therapy allows the patient to be exposed gradually. With virtual reality exposure therapy, cognitive and behavioral therapies are more accessible and less intimidating than with in vivo exposure.
For specific phobias, this helps to attenuate undesirable emotional and behavioral reactions and lessen the impact of the anxiety-provoking situation.
For example, a patient suffering from acrophobia can gradually be exposed to virtual heights in a safe environment, facilitating desensitization. Its effectiveness has also been studied in post-traumatic stress disorder.
Rehabilitation of the elderly
A feasibility study was carried out with elderly people with cognitive and/or physical impairments and showed the acceptance of immersive virtual reality with this population (Appel et al., 2020).
Beyond simple tolerance, video game therapy also generates positive adherence. A systematic review of satisfaction among elderly populations with Parkinson's disease showed that they were enthusiastic about these exercises (Dockx et al., 2016).
The challenge of motion sickness
Understanding motion sickness
The "motion sickness" is characterized by sensations of discomfort sometimes experienced by some people in virtual reality. These sensations can include nausea, migraine or excessive sweating.
However, with quality equipment and well-developed experience, this obstacle is largely surmountable;
How KineQuantum overcomes this challenge
Numerous studies have been carried out on the acceptance of virtual reality, confirming its validity. One such study was conducted with the KineQuantum device on cervicalgia patients.
KineQuantum masters these challenges perfectly with high-performance virtual reality headsets and patient-friendly experiences, as demonstrated by the studies carried out.
Thanks to advanced technologies and specifically designed rehabilitation protocols, KineQuantum manages to deliver fun and effective virtual reality sessions.
Therapeutic virtual reality can be a complementary tool effective and innovative for physiotherapy rehabilitation.
It brings added therapeutic value in terms of reduced pain, motivation of patients, and effectiveness of rehabilitation sessions.
By embracing virtual reality therapy, physiotherapists can effectively manage patients and make sessions more engaging.
Now discover therapeutic indications in physiotherapy with KineQuantum virtual reality headsets.