Therapy with virtual reality is being used in more and more clinics and centers. As technology advances, the number of contraindications decreases, allowing for a broader range of patients to use these technologies.
Immersive virtual reality, such as that provided by Meta Quest VR glasses, offers numerous advantages and applications in the fields of neurorehabilitation and motor rehabilitation.
Who can use virtual reality therapy?
Virtual reality (VR) headsets can be used in various areas of intervention:
- Occupational therapy.
- Cognitive therapy or neuropsychology
- Physiotherapy or kinesiology
- Rehabilitation medicine
- Healthy aging workshops
- Mental health
Benefits of using VR
Immersive virtual reality improves rehabilitation and therapy in several cases:
- Motor imagery
- CIMT: Constraint Induced Movement Therapy
- Motivating and varied sessions
- Improvement of upper limb mobility
- Rehabilitation of praxias
- Cognitive rehabilitation
- Intervention in attentional disorders
- Improving reaction speed and motor speed
- Hand rehabilitation
- Cephalic control
Differences between therapy with virtual reality and traditional methods
Traditional methods
Therapy with virtual reality
- Interactivity: Limited, depends on the therapist.
- Feedback: Requires a person (professional or caregiver) to review performance and provide feedback.
- Motivation: Limited, tasks and movements may be repetitive.
- Results and performance: Not objectively measurable. It will depend on rating scales and the therapist’s opinion.
- Interactivity: High, with interactive games, real-time challenges and adaptability according to user performance.
- Feedback: Immediate, as the software can provide corrections, suggestions and progress statistics in real time.
- Motivation: High, gamification of activities and feedback on performance makes the sessions more motivating.
- Results and performance: Objectively measurable, with the possibility of recordings, evolution and reports.
